SasuHina Week
by EmbraceDiversity
Summary: It's officially SasuHina week at the SasuxHina-Fanclub on DeviantArt from the 15th until the 21st of August. Seven one shots all SasuHina. Some fluff, some angst, family, etc. Complete.
1. School  Academy

**AN:** It's SasuHina week at the SasuxHina-Fanclub over on DeviantArt! I've pretty much half way done with writing all of the entries so there should be an update for the next seven days as the week goes on. If you have a DA account and you're a SasuHina fan, go check it out! **Unbeta'd.**

xxxxx

**SasuHina Week**

**Day One**

**School/Academy**

xxxxx

Blue and black faced off, eyes sparkling with determination, or just hardheadedness, whichever. Unfortunately for the one with the black eyes, this happened in the middle of the cafeteria and when blue eyes finally had his epiphany he decided to broadcast it to the entire school.

His entire face lit up with a mixture of shock and happiness. Black eyes widened because he _knew_ what that look meant.

"Naruto…" he warned, those dark eyes scanning his table and the surrounding area frantically before giving the other his best 'I will _kill you_' glare "Don't you dare…"

Of course, this only translated to 'go right ahead' for Naruto so he stood up on the table, in the middle of the cafeteria and said as loud as his powerful lungs could handle "You like Hinata, don't you, bastard? I knew it! You stare at her like, _all the time_ and –"

That was him being cut off as Sasuke jumped up on the table and clothes-lined the blonde into the far wall. It took two teachers to pry the Uchiha off the Uzumaki but the damage was already done. The word was out to the entire school before the lunch bell sounded five minutes later.

Uchiha Sasuke was in love with Hyuuga Hinata.

xxxxx

"You got me suspended, you bastard!" pouting, Naruto put his bandaged hands behind his head as he walked beside his friend and rival Sasuke who looked like a very disgruntled thundercloud.

"I should have _killed you_." Was the retort "Did you have to do that in front of the _entire_ cafeteria? You're such an idiot!" he put a frustrated hand through his hair "I kind of really hate you right now."

Reaching out, Naruto grabbed the front of Sasuke's shirt, growling "I don't wanna hear that from you! I look like a damn mummy thanks to you! And so what? What, you too cool to admit to liking a sweet girl like Hinata?"

His question earned him a fist to the temple and the blond staggered back, gripping his head in pain "That's not it, loser." Straightening out his shirt he sighed "In case you've forgotten I have fangirls. Said fangirls are vicious concerning rivals. You just announced to the _whole school_ that I like someone and now we're _both_ suspended. So now who's going stop them from ripping 'a sweet girl like Hinata' apart?" he sounded highly irritated.

Obviously, he hadn't thought about that "Oh." Worry and a bit of guilt hit his expression hard "Oh no, poor Hinata! She's so nice and quiet – although kind of creepy – and really awesome! She always lets me copy off of her!"

"Gee, I wonder why." The brunette snapped darkly before holding out his hand "Give me your phone. I need her number." He paused for a moment before shaking his head "Never mind, just do me a favor and text message her. _Don't_ say it's from me."

"Huh? What do you want me to say?"

xxxxx

_Meet me at the park gazebo after school. There's something I have to tell you._

That was the polite translation Hinata came up with when she received the message. The original had needed a decoder, patience, and was typical Naruto. If it weren't for the fact that she currently feared for her life she would have found the energy to blush. The fact that it was Naruto's fault the entire female population of the school was out for her blood didn't help much. She wasn't angry – Hinata was never angry – but she did wish that he hadn't said it so…_loud_.

_Uchiha-san…likes me?_

It didn't even make sense, the two of them barely even knew each other and he had _never_ spoken to her before unless absolutely necessary. Not that they didn't know each other; unlike Naruto who had arrived only two months ago Sasuke had been around since elementary school. They had always been in the same class but had only interacted when school forced it upon them. Whenever they had been partners they had spoken only enough to get the project done and then that had been it. He had never looked in her direction, never really greeted her, nothing.

_Naruto-kun…he must be mistaken._

Not that it made the situation any better; the fangirls still wanted her blood, Sakura and Karin especially. That also confused Hinata because she hadn't said one way or the other how she felt about the Uchiha and furthermore, everyone knew she liked Naruto! Well, everyone except her crush.

Dodging the fangirls had taken skill of epic shinobi proportions, good thing she knew martial arts. Neji had helped as well, gods bless him. He had his own set of fangirls, many of them also being Sasuke's. Her long haired cousin had taken one for the team, mesmerizing the horde by 'conveniently' forgetting to tie the top part of his gi while walking to club practice and revealing pale but well formed muscles. He'd even let his hair down. He had barely avoided being molested en masse and she knew she owed him big time.

_Thank you so much, Neji-niisan._

The park wasn't terribly far by walk but she ran, not wanting to push her luck at being spotted. She was breathless by the time she reached the gazebo that Naruto had asked her to meet him at. Grateful for the benches she sat down inside, her bag at her side while she tried to catch her breath.

"Here." A water bottle appeared over her shoulder and she jumped a bit, startled. Her face heating as it always did when around Naruto, she turned and started.

It wasn't Naruto. It was Sasuke.

"I…" gingerly she took the bottle and turned away slowly, a little confused. Had Naruto planned this?

"Sorry for tricking you." His voice was guarded as he walked in, sitting on the opposite side. He was in a short sleeved blue shirt and jeans, his gaze off to the side instead of at her "I figured this would be the only way you'd talk to me after what happened."

"Oh! N-no it's just…" this was good yet awful. She was horrible with confrontations; they made her nervous. When Hinata got nervous, she began to stutter. "I-it's not y-your fault N-Naruto-kun said t-those things…I-I'm sure if you t-tell everyone the truth they'll…"

"And what truth is that?" when her pale gaze snapped up at him she felt her face burn when she met his. His expression was devoid of emotion but his eyes looked intense.

She really hated confrontations. Looking down at her lap she bunched her hands into little fists "Th-that you…um…don't really like me. He was j-just…it was just a joke…right?"

Now even his eyes were devoid of emotion. "Yeah, just a joke." He got up "So don't worry about it, that's all I wanted to say."

It took her brain a moment to fully process the fact that Sasuke was outright lying to her because the alternate was just too weird. She was so stunned she didn't even think about what came out of her mouth next "Do you…like me, Uchiha-san?"

"Does it matter?" the answer was curt and clipped as he turned to her, frowning "You like Naruto, remember? Just stick with that." When she flinched and looked downcast he sighed, "I can't believe I'm actually going to say this…" he muttered under his breath, pale cheeks tinting with red "Yes, I like you. I _guess_."

There was silence for a long while. Sasuke stood at the archway just before the steps with his gaze anywhere but where Hinata was and Hinata was sitting with a dazed expression.

"I…I don't understand." She was beyond confused "You've…you've never…" it wasn't that she didn't find Sasuke attractive, he had simply never shown an interest and she had never entertained the idea. He had always seemed so unapproachable, she would have liked to have been his friend but that had been impossible.

"Shown it?" he answered for her and when she nodded he sighed, crossing his arms and leaning against the frame "I went out of my way to avoid you."

What? "W-why?" not that she could talk, she had a hard time just formulating sentences around Naruto but she didn't go out of her way to avoid him…she was just shy.

Sasuke spun on her "Are you kidding? Wasn't today enough of a reason? You practically ran here like a bat out of hell, I _know_ the fangirls all but tried to murder you."

She opened her mouth and closed it. He had a point "Oh."

"Yeah." He snorted "You're quiet and you keep to yourself; it's obvious you don't like a lot of attention and that's exactly what would have happened if I had said anything. _If_ we had started dating those girls would have harassed you or would have tried to break us up. It was just easier not to bother until that _idiot_ had to go and say something." He looked frustrated "I said forget it. I'll kill the rumor mill and if you want I'll even try and get Naruto to stop being so dense around you."

_But that's…so unfair._ The thought came unbidden and she frowned slightly. So he had liked her but had never said anything because he had wanted to spare her drama. But what about his happiness? What about the next girl he ended up liking? Would he avoid her too?

"B-but then you'll…you'll never be happy!" she covered her mouth with her hands when his frown deepened "When did…you realize?"

Sasuke shifted uncomfortably and she had to admit this conversation was making her a bit uneasy as well; but she wanted to know. For some reason, she felt she had to know "Remember that one Valentine's day when everyone surrounded Itachi to give him chocolates? This was when we all went to the same school."

She struggled to try and remember, because the two of them had rarely interacted and… "Oh!" the memory suddenly came back to her and the red tint on her face turned as red as a cherry "Th-that far back?"

"_Um…h-here." the five year old handed him the box of chocolates shyly, her pale cheeks pink "I don't um…I don't r-really like it so…"_

_Scowling, the little Uchiha boy glared up at her. He didn't need her pity; so what if everyone liked Itachi and wanted to give him chocolates? He didn't care. He didn't. "I don't like sweets."_

"_O-oh…" she looked down for a moment before her face lit up again. She turned and skittered off, leaving a perplexed Sasuke sitting at his desk until she returned with a small container, handing it to him. He looked at the pink box with flowers decorated on it and then back up at her as if she'd lost her mind. This made her fidget so she instead put the little box on the table, putting her hands to her face. _

_He gave her one last look before opening it. His eyes widened as he took in the baby carrots and…cherry tomatoes._

"_I um…don't like tomatoes but m-maybe if you like them…"_

_The little boy made a noise and frowned at her "Tomatoes are good, they're better than chocolates, anyway." He took the fork inside and began to eat them. They were good. He ate them in record time, ignoring the carrots, and handed the container back to her the way she had given it to him, except now he found himself unable to meet her gaze "Why did you even bother?" everyone else had been too busy with his niisan to care about him and he had been okay with that. Really. _

_She looked happy that he had liked the tomatoes at least "U-um well…e-everyone deserves a Valentine on Valentine's day and…I like you."_

_Widened dark eyes flew to the little girl, his face turning a bright red "Y-you do?"_

_She nodded "Mmhm. Your niisan looks kind of scary but you're not. And…" she looked a little wistful but didn't finish her sentence, wanting to be more positive instead "Um, I'm really happy you liked the tomatoes."_

"_Hn." He looked away from her before giving her a somewhat shy side glance "Just give them to me from now on if you don't want them, alright? If you waste them, I'll get mad."_

_Seeing the invitation to be friends for what it was she beamed at him and nodded "Okay."_

"But…" Hinata's frown deepened "But after that you started avoiding me." She had been confused and a little hurt but he had all of a sudden seemed so popular that she had figured he hadn't wanted to be seen with the quiet Hyuuga that hadn't had any friends or admirers. "A-and that was…elementary school!" he had liked her since _then_? For that long?

_He's liked me for almost eight years…_?

He shrugged "After that I suddenly had a fanclub." Once again he looked away but she could see his ears turning pink "Yeah well…whatever. I said it doesn't matter."

Hinata didn't know what to do with this information. Uchiha Sasuke had liked her since they had been little kids and had never said a word. What would have happened if he had? Would they be dating right now? Would she had become intimidated by all the girls and avoided him instead? The latter seemed unlikely; she wasn't fickle like that. Regardless, her heart went out to him, because she understood what it was like to care for someone from afar.

"It…it does matter…" she bit her lip "Because…you…you should be happy. Y-you shouldn't have to push your f-feelings aside."

He shook his head but still kept his back to her "I don't want to put someone through that crap…" he looked at her as if to say 'Especially not you'. "I'm sorry you even found out."

"You weren't ever going to tell me, were you?"

"No."

But it sounded so _wrong_. If he had liked her for this long it obviously wasn't a crush or something fleeting. "I…I wish you had." What was she even saying? She had her feelings for Naruto and they weren't going to go away just because she discovered the truth, even if her heart went out to him. There was no pity, simply an empty feeling. Hinata realized that she meant her words, she wished he _had_ said something. Why, she had no idea, she just felt that way.

The Uchiha looked just as surprised by her confession as he stared at her. After a moment his expression became thoughtful. He looked away from her briefly and when he looked back up at her she could tell he had reached a decision about something.

"Hyuuga…go out with me."

"Huh?" she asked ineloquently, pearl colored eyes blinking "W-what?"

Another uncomfortable shift "I'm…not Naruto. I'm not loud and I'm not gung-ho energetic like him either. I know you like him but…" he let out an irritated noise, embarrassed by his actions "Two months." He said "That's how long Naruto's been here. Two months and if you're still in love with him I'll walk away." He gave her a look "You don't want me to push my feelings aside so I won't."

He was asking for a chance. She didn't dislike Sasuke, in fact, now that she knew the truth she found herself feeling a little different about him altogether. Hinata had never entertained the thought because he had always seemed so uninterested, but knowing the truth changed a lot. She still cared deeply for Naruto but the blond hadn't liked her all of his life and Sasuke had. Shouldn't she at least give him a chance? He deserved it, didn't he? And if things didn't work out then that was alright as well; she had a feeling he wouldn't truly hold it against her. She felt torn. A part of her felt that she was betraying her feelings for Naruto but the other part of her, the one that truly wondered what would have happened if they had become friends and he had admitted his feelings, wanted to know. How would things have turned out?

Slowly she nodded "O-okay."

He stiffened and looked a little disbelieving at first. It soon turned into a frown "If we do…we probably shouldn't tell anyone." He regarded her reactions intensely "Just outside of school. Hang out on the weekends or something."

She nodded again, understanding. He didn't want her to get dragged into a huge mess. It was really sweet of him actually, and she found herself blushing, poking her fingers together shyly "O-okay." She smiled demurely, noticing how he seemed to be just as embarrassed as she was. So they would be a couple, just not at school. With how vicious the fangirls could be, she completely understood and was perfectly fine with it. "So w-we'll g-go on d-d-dates?" she'd never been on a date before…well she'd never had a boyfriend to go on a date with.

The question made him grunt, shoving his hands in his pockets and looking away. "The movies." He said "This weekend. If you want. If not, whatever."

His embarrassment made her feel more comfortable and she giggled at his attempt to seem nonchalant about the whole thing "M-maybe lunch too? Um…there's a bakery and…"

"Sure." In a rather jerky motion he reached over and grabbed her hand, avoiding her gaze as he pulled her up "It's getting late. I'll walk you home." Both teens blushed horribly at the contact and words escaped her so she settled for nodding.

Her house wasn't terribly far but she knew it was a bit out of the way for Sasuke. She didn't mention it, he looked embarrassed as it was holding her hand as they walked down the streets. It felt nice; his hand was warm and his grip was solid but not at all painful. He walked a little briskly but she figured it was nerves.

Uchiha Sasuke really _did_ like her; a lot it seemed. It made her happy and a little giddy, she liked seeing this side of him. She knew she was the first and that made her feel really special. When they stopped just around the corner to her house he held out his hand "Give me your phone." when she did he programmed his number into it and handed it back "If you want…you can call or text me, I don't care."

Nodding, she held her phone to her lips shyly and he continued to avoid her gaze although he didn't let go of her hand "C-could I um…call you tonight then?"

Dark eyes slid over to hers and he nodded "Yeah."

There was awkward silence as the two tried to figure out what they were supposed to do next. Biting her lip she looked down "S-so I'll…t-talk to you later…Sasuke-kun."

His face turned bright red at the name. Shoving his hands in his pockets he began to briskly walk away "Sure. I'll see ya later Hinata." It almost sounded like one word, he had blurted it out so quickly. It wasn't until she practically floated to her room that she realized not only did she have a boyfriend, but that despite her feelings for Naruto, she liked Sasuke as well. Was it because he remembered that day as fondly as she did? Or maybe it was because she had been moved by him having feelings for so long. She didn't know, but she did know she looked forward to this weekend. Later that night she found herself too shy to call him so she decided to text instead.

'Hello.' She sent and a part of her hadn't been expecting a reply, not wanting to get her hopes up. She had heard about guys who would date girls but would hardly ever call or text. He could have easily changed his mind hours later and she wouldn't have blamed him. She still didn't know what it was he actually saw in her, if he truly saw anything at all.

Five minutes later her phone buzzed.

_Hey_. Her face now a bright red she found herself smiling, sitting down on her bed.

'I said I would call, I'm sorry.'

_It's cool, I don't really like talking on the phone much anyway._

She made a mental note of that. 'I was thinking…is Saturday alright? There's supposed to be a new movie coming out so…'

_Sure._ She would have sent another message but he sent another almost immediately after. _You don't have to go through with this if you don't want. You really like that idiot and I'll just tell everyone Naruto misunderstood once we're off suspension._

'Do you…not want me to?'

_That's not what I said. I like you a lot but I'm the one who kept quiet so whatever, it's my own fault. All I'm saying is that you don't have to feel sorry for me._

It immediately struck Hinata that Sasuke was obviously more comfortable expressing himself non-verbally; she didn't think he would have said all of this to her face. It made her a little sad though, was that what he thought? That she was doing it because she pitied him?

'I don't pity you…I mean…I don't even know why you like me. There's Sakura-chan and Ino-chan and Karin. They're all really pretty and outgoing.'

_Do I have to have a reason to like you? I just do, it's never been something I thought hard about. As for those girls, they're loud, pushy, and annoying. I don't know if you've noticed but I don't like noisy people. I can barely stand the idiot half the time. For the record, I think you're pretty._

He was definitely not shy when it came to the written word. Her face was probably going to burn red all through school tomorrow. Sasuke thought she was pretty, he liked her a lot.

'So you never thought about dating one of them instead? Because I don't think you would have to worry about them being harassed.'

…_**No.**_

She was still giggling at the tone of his reply when he sent another. _Besides, they're the ring leaders of that whole damn group, they don't have to worry about anything because they're the ones doing it._

The giggling faded and her smile turned a little sad. He was…so different than she ever would have imagined and a sudden feeling of regret emerged. 'Sasuke-kun, I do like Naruto-kun but when you told me all of those things…I think maybe if you had said something before things would have been different. So…I want to give it a chance just like you. It's not…because I pity you.'

It was ten minutes later when she received a reply._ So you're saying if I had asked you out before this you might have said yes?_

'…I think so. Yes.'

…_Alright._

'Alright?'

_I won't make the same mistake twice._

xxxxx

"Hey." Arms slid around her shoulders from behind and she was pulled into a hard frame. Blushing profusely but smiling, she twisted slightly to look up at her boyfriend of two months. He had asked her to meet him out at the park gazebo and she had a pretty good idea as to why. It was a bit confusing; the two of them were obviously happy together, but perhaps it was for his peace of mind.

Two months. It had started out awkward at first but she had come to realize that Sasuke was almost a completely different person outside of school. There he was aloof and standoffish, when they were out on their dates or finding time after school to spend time together he was pretty pleasant to be around. He was gruff when embarrassed and he wasn't very romantic but he held her hand and they talked a lot. He had yet to kiss her although they had come close a few times. He was a very serious person but she found that she didn't mind that at all. Unlike Naruto he rarely smiled but when he did it almost felt like a small treasure; she had yet to see him smile around anyone else besides her. When they weren't together physically they talked on the phone or text messaged each other constantly. In two months she had found herself falling for him, but it wasn't the same as when she had liked Naruto because they weren't the same person.

"H-hello." She blinked when something cool touched her wrist and he pulled away as she raised her arm to look at the silver charm bracelet. She was thankful she was already red, it was absolutely beautiful. It wasn't anything fancy but it was the first thing he – or any boy for that matter – had ever brought for her. "Sasuke-kun…" she turned to face him and he looked embarrassed but pleased that she liked the present. "Thank you so much…it's…"

"You…know why I asked you here, right?" when she nodded he grimaced and looked away "Listen, before you say anything I just…" he put a hand through his hair "I liked you but I didn't really know anything about you. Now I do and –" he paused and then sighed again "I still like you, maybe even a little more than I did before." He looked at her "So I need an answer, am I kidding myself here or do I actually have a chance with you?"

This was actually something she had been considering the entire time they had started dating, so she already had her answer "I…still like Naruto-kun." She began and besides the slight shift in his gaze he revealed nothing "He's really nice and energetic and fun to be around. He makes me laugh and he's always so determined. There are a lot of things I really admire about him." Biting her lip she looked up at him "I like Naruto-kun but…I want to be with you. B-because you're…you've…become someone precious to me."

He closed the distance between them inside the gazebo, taking her hand and looking at her. The two were quiet for a long time, merely gazing into each other's eyes. He broke the spell, looking down at their hands "I'm only going to say this once, so if you miss it then whatever." Black eyes met white "I…love you." She was only able to let out a small gasp of surprise before warm lips slid over hers, hands gripping her arms tightly. She practically melted in his grip as he took her first kiss. They parted briefly, Sasuke taking in her flushed face and hooded eyes before kissing her again, one hand brushing along her cheek to rest in her hair. How long they were like that was anyone's guess.

"S-Sasuke-kun?"

The two teens' lips broke apart abruptly but when Hinata tried to move away from him his grip tightened and he actually pulled her closer to his chest. She could have fainted; standing there, only a few feet away, were Sakura, Ino, Shikamaru, Chouji, Sai, Karin, and Suigetsu. _Why_ they were all together was anyone's guess but the cat was officially out of the bag now.

"What the heck are you doing with the Hyuuga girl?" Karin exclaimed angrily, pointing as she adjusted her glasses "What's going on here?"

Hinata wanted to go and hide herself under a rock and never come out. This was the exact thing Sasuke had wanted to _avoid_ and now…

"What does it look like?" Shifting, Sasuke grabbed Hinata's hand and stepped off the gazebo to head in the opposite direction "I'm on a date with my _girlfriend_ and you're bothering us." He took a few steps and turned to the stunned group "_Don't_ follow us or I'll get mad."

"Sasuke-kun I'm so sorry!" his girlfriend finally said once they were well out of earshot. He shrugged.

"It would have come out sooner or later." He sounded unhappy "It's alright."

But it wasn't and she could tell. He was tense, very much so. She had a vague idea as to why and decided to take a stab at it "Um…no…n-no matter what Sasuke-kun…I'll believe in you so…you don't have to worry about me breaking up with you."

He abruptly stopped walking but didn't turn to her. They stood like that, in the middle of the sidewalk, until he tugged on her hand and he turned to face her. His smile was a bit strained but it did reach his eyes "Just…don't do anything reckless. If I've learned anything about you these past two months is that once you're determined about something you stick with it till the end, but you also won't tell anyone if something's bothering you." His gaze turned stern "If they mess with you, _tell_ me. I'm serious, Hinata."

She nodded "I promise."

This smile was more genuine "Hn." They continued walking but at a slower pace and he seemed a lot less tense and upset.

He had actually had plans to take her out to dinner – which had been a surprise for her – at a new restaurant not far from his house.

"We have a year until the entrance exams," he began once they had started eating "you know where you're going to apply?"

She looked thoughtful "Oh um…I was thinking maybe Konoha High. It's close to home and Neji-niisan is going there next year so…"

Sasuke nodded "Alright. I'll apply there too."

Pale eyes widened "B-but you…but that one school…"

"You mean that academy that sent me the invite?"

She nodded "It's a really good school and you're so smart. They say that whoever graduates from there is going to become really prosperous. They always end up working high paying positions or even being CEO's of companies."

"Tch. Whatever. It's an all boy school and I'd have to live in the dorms there. We'd hardly ever see each other. Besides, you're fourth in our class, you're not an idiot so don't sell yourself short." He shrugged "I'll go where you go."

Blushing profusely she nodded, flattered and happy beyond belief that he would chose her over such a prestigious school. "Together then."

It was around ten at night when he finally brought her to the corner just before her house and they stood there for a while in silence before Hinata took a small step forward, gently grabbing and tugging on his sleeve to get his attention. When he gave her an inquisitive glance she blushed deeply, looking down.

"I…I um, just…j-just wanted to know that the way you feel I f-feel the same way." She looked up at him "I love you too, Sasuke-kun."

He gave her one of those rare warm smiles that seemed to completely transform his face. When he pulled her in and kissed her she wrapped her arms around his neck and their kiss quickly became passionate. His hand moved through her hair and she tightened her arms around him as the two young teens in love expressed their emotions through actions instead of words. Then he pulled away, both of them breathless, his fingers brushing along her jaw "Goodnight Hinata." He whispered against her lips "And thanks."


	2. Super Heroes

**AN:** Holy crap I got 13 reviews in a day! Thank you guys so much, I'm glad you guys like it so far. Please, if you have a DA account, check out the club itself! There's some really awesome art up for SasuHina week. You won't be disappointed :D

This one was either to do them as super heroes _or_ you could have one rescuing the other; there were a few options. This is canon setting set in the future.

**Warnings:** Angsty, some swearing. **Unbeta'd.**

xxxxx

**SasuHina Week Day Two:** [Super] Heroes!

**To Endure**

**By:** Catriana

xxxxx

His hands hung limply from scarred and bruised wrists, the cold from the wet stone floor seeping in and chilling him to the bone. His thick hair was oily, dirty, and disheveled. They had stripped him of all clothing and deep red lines littered his entire body; cuts and whip marks. His nails were either broken or had been ripped out. There were bloodied bandages covering his eyes – eyes that now held empty sockets.

He could hear footsteps in the distance, his hearing much keener than before. How long had he been here? He couldn't at all recall. Days? Weeks? Months? Time had no meaning here; all he knew was pain. An arrogant smirk graced dry, chapped lips and he raised his head.

"You might as well just go ahead and get the beating over with," he remarked as he heard the footsteps getting closer. They seemed a bit different today…lighter "The answer's the same, I'm _not_ going to tell you anything about her."

Her. Hinata. His wife. They had captured him but that was what he had wanted; better him than her. Better the traitor than his beautiful heiress. Or perhaps she was running the Hyuuga now; that was what they had wanted before she had decided to defy everyone and marry the living relic of the fallen Uchiha clan. He had risked everything that day and regretted none of it now. She had been the only one…without her his life was meaningless.

It had been so long…had the baby been born? He had wanted to be there for her but now that was impossible.

The steps stopped only a few feet away from him and heavy silence filled the room – or cell, he had no real idea of which. After a moment he heard the subtle sound of someone letting out a shaky breath, as if they were trying to keep themselves from crying. Irritation filled him at this newest ploy. He scowled.

"Do you honestly expect me to fall for this? Being a woman isn't going to get me to talk; I'm not going to betray my wife so you can get her eyes so fuck off. You got mine, be happy with that."

"S-Sasuke…" the voice was definitely female and her voice was definitely watery. That wasn't what gave him pause; it wasn't what filled his heart with a myriad of emotions that left his head spinning in his weakened state. He knew this voice.

"Hinata?" the disbelief in his voice was clear and he tilted his head to the side slightly, frowning. His somewhat addled mind was too confused to process her presence logically. Instead, panic kicked in and he began to struggle through his bonds, uncaring of how raw his wrists already were "You idiot!" he snapped "Why are you here? Don't you know what they'll do to yo –"

He was cut off when arms wrapped around his neck and a face buried itself into the crook. Sasuke stopped struggling but was still confused. What was she doing? Why was she here? Had they captured her? If they did; he didn't care if his bonds had left him with barely enough chakra to stay alive, he'd do whatever it took to save her. She was the only thing left alive he cared for with all of his being. When he began to struggle again the arms tightened and she shook her head. The scent of herbs and flowers filled him and it helped him settle.

Then she pulled away and began to fumble along his restraints "Sasuke I…I'm so sorry." She was openly sobbing at this point and there was a small hiccup before she continued, still whispering apologies and words of love and endearment "J-just a little more…"

Still confused he tried to move away from her "Hinata, leave me here. I don't know how you got here but leave, don't let them capture you." His enhanced senses picked up on the gentle movement of her shaking her head. When he began to struggle against her again cool but soft hands framed his face and petal soft lips pressed against his hard and cracked ones.

"_We're_ leaving." Her voice held a hint of finality to it "N-no one is coming after us but…I think Taeru would like to see his father for the first time."

He didn't have to guess who she meant. She had named their son Taeru and he smiled at her choice. To bear, to stand, to _endure_. It was a good name; it also meant that at the very least he had been around for eight months. Six from her pregnancy and two from her recovering and being there for the baby during those first critical months. She must have come after him the moment she had been able to.

At this point she had finally removed the shackles around his wrists and he slumped forward, his arms and body useless from weakness and fatigue. Her arms were around his body and she held him close, almost painfully so.

"Sasuke, I'm so sorry…" she was still crying and he could feel the warmth of her tears rolling down his neck.

He was quiet for a moment before responding "You and…Taeru…" he began, finding himself feeling strange at saying the name of his son. _I have a son_. "You're alright?"

His wife nodded "He's back in Konoha. It took us so long to find you but Naruto-kun and I…we never stopped looking…I'm…I'm so…"

"If you're both alright then stop apologizing. Better me than you." He paused "The guards?"

"They're dead." There was a small amount of coldness in her tone that had never been there before. He wasn't sure if he liked it.

"And those guys running the show?"

As if on cue the place rumbled and he could clearly hear a certain blond haired idiot screaming "Rasengan!"

"…Never mind." Sasuke muttered and sighed, a wry smirk emerging "It looks like this time you're saving me, Hyuuga."

"Uchiha." She corrected and they both grunted as she positioned them so that they could stand. They staggered; he was heavy and she wasn't exactly physically strong so she was almost dragging him along. There was more rumbling above and the howl of a dog. Inuzuka.

"What, did you bring the entire village?" although he was joking it was mostly for Hinata's piece of mind. Somehow he could sense that she was near hysterics despite her calm tone and was trying to show her that he was fine. Of course, they both knew it was a lie. He had been beaten, tortured, and his eyes were gone. Had they succeeded in capturing Hinata they would have taken her eyes as well.

_Better me than her._

"It's Naruto-kun, Kiba-kun, and Sakura-chan." She informed him "There's backup on the way but…"

She trailed off and he let her. Soon there was a flare of chakra that he could actually _see_, if such a thing was possible. It was bright and yellow…incredibly warm. "Naruto."

"Oh, shit…Sasuke…you…" the blond took a few steps toward them and then strong arms gripped him, giving him the support Hinata could not "You…dumb…you dumb bastard." He sounded a mixture of sad and relieved.

Too much movement and things going on at a time. Wavering a bit he smirked again as he felt his consciousness slipping "Good to see you too…loser." And then he knew no more.

xxxxx

"_I wish I could give you two better news," Tsunade had begun to explain "but because of his ill treatment at the hands of his captors I don't think we'll be able to do the surgery to implant new eyes. On top of that; from what we were able to understand the moment those guys tried to implant Sasuke's eyes in they died horribly and they were rendered useless."_

"_I did that." The fallen avenger said, sitting up in the hospital bed. "It was years ago, but I did it in case something like that happened." Or if Madara had decided to betray him and use Itachi's eyes for whatever sick ideas he could have come up with "And I don't care about being able to see again." He shrugged "I don't need eyes to see; I spent those six months using the little bit of chakra I had to learn how to use my other senses. Now that I'm almost back to full strength I can 'see' now just as well as I could when I had eyes."_

"_But…" his wife's voice sounded sad and he shifted, running his hands through her hair._

"_Just because I can't see him doesn't mean I'll care less about him." He shrugged "Besides; he probably ended up looking like _you_ anyway." He smirked when she swatted playfully at his arm. After a moment he turned in her direction "Bring him to me."_

xxxxx

He was only a month and a half and he was the tiniest thing he had ever held in his arms. Calloused fingers trailed over smooth and chubby skin and he was surprised when a surprisingly strong hand gripped his finger and was dragged into a slobbery mouth. The father snorted "I think he's hungry."

Hands smoothed over his shoulders and his wife giggled. "He already ate not too long ago." She informed him.

"Hn." Knowing that she breast fed he tilted his head, smirking "Well, in _that_ case…" he cut himself off when she made a noise and lightly pushed him. When she wrapped her arms around his shoulders he leaned back a bit, sightless eyes looking down at the squirming child that was having a field day gumming his finger. "Remind me not to let him do that when he starts teething."

For some reason this had her sniffling and tearing up and he sighed "Don't start." Was it common for women to still go through mood swings after having a child? He thought that crap ended right after birth. "I don't regret anything." And he could see his son…well, his chakra anyway. He had an idea of what his son looked like through touch, he knew he had Hinata's smile and she told him that Taeru had his eyes. Perhaps he'd develop the Sharingan. Removing his finger from his son's mouth, which was more difficult than it should have been – how strong were babies anyway? – he shifted so that he had the boy in one arm and motioned for Hinata to sit on his lap. She did, leaning against him so that her head rested on his shoulder. A small yawn caught their attention and he could tell the child was falling asleep.

"Hinata."

She shifted and he knew he had her attention. His face was tilted towards Taeru, however, as he regarded the cool blue chakra the boy was giving off "I saved you, you saved me. We both would have been dead otherwise. We knew the risks when we became shinobi. What would you rather have, a blind husband or a dead one?"

"Neither." She sniffled sadly but when she wrapped her arms around him he could sense that she was finally relenting "But…I'm…I'm happy you're here. I'm happy that you're not…d-dead. I'm glad that you'll be here for him. So…" she kissed his temple and when he shifted to stand she allowed him, watching as he unerringly walked over to the baby's crib and placed the sleeping child inside. Even she could not deny that despite his blindness it was very hard to tell; he moved as flawlessly as one who had their sight could.

Then she let out a soft gasp when he was suddenly in front of her, his hands on her hips as he pulled her close. Grinning, he dipped his head and she giggled when he began to nuzzle her neck.

"Now then," he murmured against her skin. He began walking backwards out of the room, hands beginning to roam "Our son has had lunch and is asleep." She giggled again when his foot reached out and gently slid the door to their room open "I think it's now time for _my_ afternoon snack. I think I'll have it in bed." Her giggle turned into a small gasp as he swept down and took her legs, now carrying her bridal style "If I'm lucky, I'll even be able to catch a nap before he wakes up screaming." Her response was to giggle and pull his head down for a kiss.


	3. Fairy Tales

**AN:** I like this one the least out of the ones I've written (I'm working on Day 5 as of this posting). For this day I took the tale of Hades and Persephone(it was that or having Hinata be a cute succubus that didn't really know who or what she was and Sasuke being the son of a priest…which is kind of sort of based off a manga I like. Hell, I still might write it) but I changed the ending completely because anyone who knows about it knows it's not really a romance story…not really.

Another almost 13 reviews in one day! You guys are absolutely amazing, you know that?

xxxxx

**SasuHina Week Day Three: Fairy Tales**

**Queen of the Underworld**

**By: Catriana**

xxxxx

Every day he watches from the depths below as she approaches her special field of flowers. Obsidian eyes filled with death and darkness watch longingly as pale white arms lift and delicate hands cover her face as she laughs; bringing an almost ethereal light to the entire area. He envies the nymphs and animals that sit and enjoy her company, he yearns to be the flowers her slender fingers brush along softly and reverently.

For years he has watched this young goddess, a bright beacon of light to his never ending darkness. Skin so pale it almost glows; black hair with a tint of purple that enhances her pale lavender eyes. When she laughs her cheeks dust with the finest shade of red, when she frowns her petal-soft lips purse in the most enticing ways. How many times has he reached out with his larger, more calloused hand, wishing just once he could touch her?

A creature of such beauty and light would never wish to be by his side; he who was lord of the underworld. She would reject him, abhor him; there were already so many rumors going about concerning who he was and how he operated. He was not a cruel god, no more than any other, but she would run from him before he could prove himself and perhaps avoid her special field forever.

In addition, the goddess of harvest, her mother, would never allow such a union, even if the divine creature before him returned his affections. No, he was doomed to pine from below; to desire something he could never have. If only he could show her the truth, that not all of his lands were dark and dreary. If only he could have her at his side, he would show her the beauty of Elysium where she would be able to enjoy the endless meadows and flowers that resided there.

_Perhaps if I could show her…would she then…?_

No, it would never work and he knew it. This was what he told himself every day and every day it became harder and harder to accept. More years passed and he began to grow tired of simply watching, of longing. His desire for her grew into a physical ache, to a point where he thought he would even go mad. He had to have her, _needed_ to have her; and the urge to simply take what belonged to him grew in intensity. It settled as a dark lump within his stomach and spread, igniting heat and even lust in its wake.

He was unsure what it was that made him snap eventually, only that he did. Of course, it wasn't a situation where he acted irrationally; oh no. When he snapped he actually did not watch her for months; instead he plotted. It would all have to be done just right, but he _would_ have her as his queen and be damned what the other gods wanted or would allow.

With everything set in place he walked over to the perch where he usually sat to watch his beautiful maiden of light and flowers and grinned.

Uchiha Sasuke, king of the underworld, would finally have his queen this day.

xxxxx

Whenever Uzumaki Naruto, god of the sun, rode on his chariot to bring light and warmth to the world the beautiful Hyuuga Hinata would rise from her slumber, immediately going to her favorite sanctuary. She would go and play with the nymphs and sing to the flowers, enjoying the peace and tranquility of her special place. It was here that she was not alone and it was here that her mother let her stay so as to be away from the other gods.

It was also here that she would feel the sensation of someone watching her. At first it had been alarming, for it had been a cold sensation in the midst of the warm weather. After a while the sensation had become more natural, even comfortable. There was a strange heat to the cold, filling her stomach and spreading throughout her body. At times it even made her feel safe; as if she had a guardian watching over her. Sometimes her imagination would conjure up a man; tall and handsome with short black hair and piercing black eyes. In her mind his skin would be pale, almost snow white, with a heated gaze that didn't feel as intimidating as it should have been. She dreamed of him often and wondered if perhaps he was a figment of her imagination or a vision. She had heard of those individuals who would have visions of the future, perhaps…?

Several of the nymphs around her cried out in alarm and jumped up, staggering back and away. Before she could even open her mouth to ask what was wrong there was a loud rumble and the ground between her and the other creatures cracked into thick, lightning streaked lines just before the land was ripped apart, an eruption of dirt and rock flying up into the air. She screamed, shielding her face with her arm as she tried, and failed, to keep herself from coughing as the dust lingered. As it settled her white gaze focused on a dark figure rising from the ground. His garments were elaborately made and all black, robes flowing as if the edges were made of smoke as they blew in the wind.

She was horribly frightened as she tried to scoot backwards on the ground. When the dust fully cleared Hinata forced herself to look up at the menacing presence and started. Pale skin, jet black hair and eyes; angular brows furrowed in a small frown. She knew this man.

In the background she could hear the nymphs whining and whimpering; too afraid to move. It was…the man from her visions, wasn't it? But why? How?

She tried to open her mouth but few words escaped "I…" she bit her lip to keep herself from stammering. His gaze was so intense; dark and foreboding. He gripped her arm almost roughly and forced her to stand. Trembling, she looked up at him with alarm and a little bit of fear in her eyes before she felt his thumb brush along her cheek.

"You are mine now, daughter of the harvest goddess." He murmured; his voice a dark caress as she felt his fingers gently brush along her forehead. Her eyes became heavily hooded and then she knew no more.

xxxxx

When long lashes began to flutter before fully exposing pale lavender eyes the young goddess found herself in a very unfamiliar place. She was lying on a bed, a beautiful one at that. Sitting up she took in her surroundings. She was obviously in a bedroom and it was _very_ obvious that it had been decorated with a female's tastes in mind.

Beautiful shades of violet and silver adorned the bed, drapes, and lush rugs. Dark furniture decorated with pale violet flowers and lavender and etched in with more rich silver tones. There was a bit of fabric on the edge of the bed and when she slid off the thick comforter and allowed her bare feet to sink into the lush carpet below she walked around and noticed that it was a gown. It was the most beautiful gown she had ever laid eyes on; the color matched her eyes perfectly with dark purple trim along the underside of the breast to flare out in long ruffles that settled along the knees. It was strapless and there was but a simple note on top.

_A bath has been ran for you, the door is to the far left. Consider this room your own to do as you see fit. I will come for you in two hours._

It was not signed and the handwriting was unfamiliar to her but it was definitely masculine. Haunting onyx eyes and thin, firm lips emerged in her mind and she began to wonder if this truly was the work of the man who had come from the earth. The very same man who had been haunting her dreams.

The bathing room was very large; much larger than she would have ever expected, and the heavenly scent of lilies and lilacs filled her senses. Her face dusted with crimson when she noticed that there were indeed lavender and lilac petals decorating the top of the warm water. So she stripped out of her dirty garments and washed at the basin, enjoying the soft scent of jasmine and shea as she washed her skin and hair. Once finished she soaked for who knew how long in the warm scented water, emerging with glowing skin and the feeling absolutely beside herself. Such treatment! Never in her life had anyone gone through so much trouble just to ensure she had a relaxing bath.

After her bath she slipped the gown on, shivering delightfully at the cool and smooth texture of the fabric as it moved over her skin. Was this…all his doing? How did he know her favorite color was purple? Her mother always made her wear white and although she had never minded it was definitely not her favorite color. There was a full length mirror by the vanity and she walked over to it, admiring her reflection. It was such a _beautiful _dress; she couldn't help but admire…

"What is this?" something white had caught her eye and she glanced over on top of the vanity where yet another note lay. Right below it was a slender black box.

_Take it, it's yours._ Was all it said. Hesitantly and with shaky fingers, she slowly opened the box and her eyes widened to saucers as she took in the beautiful amethyst pendant being held in by an intricately carved silver lily. A hand moved over her mouth as she regarded the beautiful object, tears springing in her eyes. Had he…done this for her? Her beautiful black-garbed guardian, had he done this? But why go so far? Why now? And why kidnap her only to lavish her in gifts and pamper her to the fullest?

"Do you wish to wear it?" a low baritone filled the silent room and Hinata spun, the hand that was on her face fluttering to her chest. Her heart was pounding as she took in the sight of the tall and incredibly handsome man before her. His expression was impassive as he regarded her, but his onyx eyes were anything but. There was fire and passion within those shadowy depths and she felt heat rise to fill her cheeks. Never had anyone looked upon her with such desire and…something else that she couldn't determine but was no less intense.

"I…" once more she found herself unable to speak in front of this beautiful god but he did not seem to mind. If anything, the fire in his eyes settled to a warm simmer as he regarded her and all it served to do was increase the pounding of her heart. "Y…you brought me here." Finally! Now she hoped she could continue to speak coherently "I um, where am I? And…who are you? I thought you were just a figment of my imagine, a dream but –"

"Wait." Confusion graced angular features and he took a few steps into the room. Although it felt as if his entire presence filled the large space of her room it didn't feel stifling. If anything she felt that warm and comfortable sensation as always; as if she was safe and secure "You have seen my face before? In your dreams?"

He stopped a respectful distance from her and she nodded "Yes. At first it had felt a little frightening but then it felt…" she paused as she remembered the sensation fondly "warm. Comforting." Now she looked confused "But you are real, aren't you?"

The dark man didn't answer her immediately; he was instead frowning thoughtfully to the side "Perhaps…" a small smirk emerged briefly before he schooled his face into a smooth mask and looked at her again "The pendant," he offered again "did you wish to wear it?" when she shyly nodded he closed the distance between them, taking the silver necklace and gently fastened it as it settled along just above her cleavage. His hands slid from her neck down to her shoulders and she shivered at the touch, noting how his expression hardened but the simmer in his eyes was once again a full blaze.

"I had no choice but to do things this way." Backing away his gaze flickered from her briefly "You would not have come here otherwise." He looked back at her, his expression almost daring her to deny the claim he was about to make "Would you have come here willingly, if I had told you that I was the lord of the underworld and that I wanted to show you my home?"

Gasping, she took an instinctive step back, her face paling. She had heard of the god of the underworld; how vicious, cruel, and unfeeling he was. Souls suffered eternally under him and his lands were a sea of barren wastelands that rained blood.

But that was impossible; the man standing before her did not look cruel or vicious. Serious perhaps, but the fire in his eyes was definitely not from being unfeeling. It was as if he barely kept his passionate nature in check. Besides being dark he seemed to be nothing at all like what he was painted as.

Regardless, she could not deny that he was right; had he approached her first and revealed himself she would have fled in fear of him. So instead he had brought her here and had shown her a bit of what he truly was.

When their gazes locked again he seemed to relax; knowing that while she was naturally wary she was more curious and entranced by his behavior. He was so quiet, such an enigma, and she found herself wanting to know more and more about him.

"I only ask of you three things." he began "The first being to share this fruit with me." with that he raised his hand and a pomegranate emerged "The second is to come with me so that I may show you Elysium. The third I will ask after I have shown you the second."

She eyed the red fruit cautiously and looked up at him "Just share it with you?" she sounded a little surprised; that was it? It seemed a little strange to go through the trouble just for that.

With little effort he split the flesh of the fruit right down the middle with his hands, handing her half with a small smile on his face. Gingerly, she took the fruit, looking at all the blood red seeds within. When she saw him take some of the seeds and put them into his mouth she then followed, convinced that he had not done anything to it. Although she found him incredibly attractive and her heart was moved deeply by his kindness so far; she still did not know him.

They ate only a few and when finished it disappeared as if it had never been. He held out his hand to her "Come with me. You will like this place."

The moment she reached out and placed her smaller hand in his her world shifted and she gasped, rushing forward to collide into the dark god, her head resting along his chest as a warm arm came around her shoulders. He was still holding her hand when she looked up at him and found herself practically melting under his intense gaze. So much passion, she felt as if she were drowning in a sea of midnight. Then he let go of her hand, raising it to brush his fingers along her cheek "Hinata," his voice was low and warm "Turn and look."

When she did all she could do was stare at the sight before her in wonder. It was much larger than her little meadow and there were many people around; mostly off to the side sitting under trees. The flowers were amazing; they were like the ones above but they all held an ethereal glow to them, as is they were spirits of the flowers themselves. Green, lush vegetation as far as the eye could see; men, women, and children all looked happy and peaceful. There was the sensation of complete harmony and serenity here. Turning, her eyes were wide with child-like wonder as she faced the god of the underworld who had a very small smile on his face.

"Hades has more than one level to it," he explained to her "There are good, neutral, and evil souls. They are presented before myself and my judges and we send them accordingly. The good and just come here to Elysium; this is their reward for living a righteous life and devoting themselves to the gods."

This stunned her "You mean…they do not all go to one place? They do not all suffer?"

The questions seemed to amuse him "No. When I and my brothers defeated the titans I chose the underworld and it was not as you see it." He smirked "The rumors you hear are accurate, for _before_ I took over. Even the gods fear death." The smirk widened, as if he were in on a joke she wasn't privy to "There are three types of souls and it seemed nonsensical to have them all go to one place, it was upsetting the balance here. So I created Tartarus, the Asphodel Meadows, and Elysium. One for evil, neutral, and good souls, respectively."

She processed this "So then…you're not good or evil…you're…neutral?" She found herself confused. The rumors of who he was and his actual personality seemed so different. Instead of being ugly and full of hatred he seemed calm and almost apathetic. If he had created three separate levels of Hades for the different spirits then he wasn't evil at all. In fact, doing something like that, when he really hadn't had to, seemed rather honorable and just.

"I see no reason to punish those who don't need to be punished and it is easier to sort the souls this way. Less hassle." He shrugged as if it was no big deal. Taking a step forward, he put his hands on her shoulders and waited until he had her attention "Hinata, do you like Elysium?"

Did she like it? She loved it! It was everything her meadow had and more, all she wanted to do was sink down into the lush-looking grass and enjoy the beauty around her "Yes," she breathed out her answer, her eyes shining with grateful appreciation at all of the wonderful gifts he had given her. He was nothing like the rumors had said and everything her dreams had shown him to be. Looking at him now, with his dark eyes so serious and full of emotion, she knew that she was in love with him "It's so beautiful, I could stay here forever."

"Then stay." When she blinked up at him in confusion his hands gripped her shoulders a little tighter "I have…" he pulled her until she was flush against him, his thumb brushing along smooth porcelain skin "Stay here, with me. Become my queen and Elysium is yours for eternity to do with as you wish."

She couldn't believe her ears. "You…want me? T-to be your…?" she couldn't even finish the sentence, she was that stunned. He seemed to find her surprise amusing as he bent down to brush his lips along hers. It was obvious that he had meant only the light brush but when their lips connected something sharp and hot moved through them both.

Her name escaped his lips as a breathless litany before he crushed her against him, all traces of calm, borderline apathy gone. This was the man she had seen behind the fiery depths of his onyx eyes, the one who had haunted her dreams with his intense nature. He let go of her arms and she wrapped them around his neck as hands slid up her back, a low noise escaping from the back of his throat. Reluctantly, he pulled away from her, both out of breath "Your answer, Hinata."

Gazing into his eyes once more, she opened her mouth to give her answer when a sharp cry filled the air. Surprised, she leaned into his embrace but he was scowling, his eyes to the sky.

"Uchiha!" the voice was definitely enraged and familiar "Uchiha! Give her back to me!"

"Mother…" She tried to move from his grip but he refused.

With a small snort he flicked his wrist and the sky opened, the darkness beyond revealing a slender woman in black silks, her white eyes boring down on his black as he regarded her impassively.

"Greetings, goddess of the harvest." His tone was definitely mocking and sarcastic "And you are here, in my domain, because…?"

The older, colder version of Hinata landed, her strides quick and purposeful as she scowled at the couple "Release my daughter at once god of death!"

He rolled his eyes "Tch. I don't know _how many times_ I have to tell you _idiots_ that Itachi is the actual god of death and I…never mind." He looked a mixture of frustrated and exasperated "As you can see, she is safe and sound, so go away, we were _trying_ to have a conversation."

Her mother looked angry enough to kill and Hinata looked up at Sasuke, trying once more to move from his grip and once more being denied "M-mother…I…" what would she say? That he had basically asked her to marry him and she –

"Tell me," Hinata winced under the glare her mother shot her way "Did you…eat anything while you were here?"

"Yes." He answered for her. Letting Hinata go, he turned to the older goddess "She's free to come and go as she pleases, but –"

"But she belongs to _you_." The harvest goddess spat out the word like venom "You tricked my daughter! You've bound her soul here; Uchiha this is inexcusable!"

Confused and not a little alarmed she looked over at the man she was quickly falling in love with but he looked unrepentant. A cold feeling of dread filled Hinata at his icy stare "You…tricked me?"

He blinked once and the frost in his gaze was gone, "Yes. You know why."

Immediately she recalled his earlier words about why he had kidnapped her in the first place. Pain hit her and her hands flew to her chest, fingers brushing along the beautiful pendant he had given her. She could not help but to feel betrayed "But…"

"I watched you for years, Hinata." It was said flatly and with no hint of emotion but she knew better. Her heart raced and she felt herself flushing; knowing that he was not lying. She had always felt his presence, had always sensed him near "I grew tired of watching and yearning; the moment I appeared before you I had no intentions of letting you leave my side as anything but my wife." He frowned "I had wanted to convince you by showing you what I could give you but either way…"

Either way he had meant to have her. An act of desperation; he had believed that he would be unable to convince her to love him, so he bound her anyway, unable to continue to not have her in his life.

"Release her, Uchiha," her mother insisted "You will have my daughter, but only for a third of the year. One season," she sneered "That is all you can force from her."

He let her go and she hugged herself, feeling bereft without his warm arms around her slender frame. Her eyes were sad as she looked at him but he was closed off from her. She hated it; she wanted to see his small smile and the light in his dark eyes. The small glimpses of his true self that he had shown her, she wanted to see it again.

"I may have tricked you," his voice was low "but I've never lied to you."

She recalled all of their conversations and found that the one thing she _could_ have called him out on she really couldn't. He had only asked her to eat the fruit. While he hadn't told her there was a catch involved, she hadn't asked him either.

With the exception of not telling her the true meaning behind eating the fruit, he had been nothing but kind and gentle with her; sharing who he truly was and what he truly did in the underworld. He was a cold, hard, and calculating god; but for her he smiled and gazed into her eyes as if she were the only thing in his world.

"I may…come and go as I please?" she asked and both older gods stiffened.

"Hinata," her mother stepped forward "Don't allow him to poison your mind. He's not what you think he is."

_You don't know what I think of him._ Hinata thought to herself but looked at him for an answer.

"You are only required to stay here for one season." He answered "Beyond that, you can do whatever you desire, I cannot stop you from leaving if you want to leave."

She thought on this for only a moment before she regarded him seriously, frowning "Promise me that you'll never trick or deceive me again. No lies, nothing."

"Hinata!" her mother moved forward but found herself unable, Sasuke's hand raised in her direction while he met his queen's stern gaze.

"I promise." He turned to the older goddess "She's made her choice, _don't_ get in my way." It was a very clear warning. When Hinata closed the distance between them his arms wrapped tightly around her and he buried his face in her neck, deeply breathing in her scent.

Nervously, she turned to her mother "I…I wish to remain. He is giving me Elysium and I will come visit you often, mother. Please, I –"

"So be it." Her mother clearly did not look happy but there was little she could do if her daughter was _willingly_ going into the arms of the death god. Her eyes narrowed "I swear Uchiha, if you keep her aaway from me I'll –"

"Unlike _some_ gods," he began disdainfully "_I'm_ a man of my word. Now, unless you have anything else _pressing_, I'd like for you to get the hell out of my domain."

xxxxx

"It is beautiful even at night…" Hinata said in awe as she leaned against her husband, looking up at the stars "It truly looks like the heavens."

Sitting on the grass, he pulled her closer to his chest "That's because it is." When she looked up at him he smiled warmly "Elysium is the upper most part of Hades, so the sky and the weather are genuinely from above ground."

"It's so beautiful." She said and he chuckled, twisting so that he could look at her as she leaned back on him.

"You act as if you've never seen the night sky before." He sounded amused and she frowned a little at him before pouting slightly.

"W-well, I was trying to say that…" she looked down "Everything looks more beautiful here."

"Hn." His arms tightened around her but didn't reply. Instead, after a moment he jerked his body into motion and with a small squeak she found herself on her back with him moving on top of her, his dark gaze bright and intense even at night. He smirked at her, a boyish grin that she was already in love with "There's something beautiful to look at, but it's not up in the sky."

When he kissed her she felt herself practically melt at his touch, almost immediately parting her lips as her arms wrapped around him. She was his queen and she ruled over the land of Elysium, a land that, under her care, was more beautiful and full of splendor than any mortal land could dare to even hope to achieve. The beautiful goddess of light who had played with the nymphs and sang to the flowers was now ruler of the underworld, the rumored epitome of darkness and despair.

The two were fine with the rumors for Hinata knew firsthand how deceiving they could be. Had she listened to them, she would not be where she was today; madly in love with this dark, powerful, but fair and just god. She would not have the beauty of Elysium and most importantly, she would not have known true happiness. As for her husband, never was an untruth spoken between them and he revered and worshipped his goddess and queen. Dark songs of their love were created and sang along the centuries, rumors persisted and yet neither cared. They had each other and they had the meadows; that was all they needed and that was all that mattered.


	4. Family

**AN:** Holy crap 49 reviews! A lot of you guys said you felt the Fairy Tales one was your favorite, I'm glad you guys liked it! This one came out super long, 5,400 words, and I had initially planned on it only being like, 2,000. Enjoy!

**SasuHina Week - Day Four: Family**

**Teenage Adversity and Future Promises**

**By: Catriana**

Dark eyes merely glanced up at the two girls standing before him, his expression and gaze blank as he leaned forward on the desk in his father's study. One girl named Yamanaka Ino was a tall and thin blond, long hair with bangs that covered one bright blue eye. She was wearing the Konoha High School uniform and her arms were crossed along her chest, a frown on her pretty face. Beside her was a shorter, darker haired girl named Hyuuga Hinata in the same uniform. Her hair was also long, coming down to the middle of her back, and her white gaze was downcast, unable to look the boy in the eyes.

To say he was 'shocked' by the revelation was an understatement. It took every ounce of self-training Uchiha Sasuke had put into perfecting his 'cool and aloof' image to keep from staring at them as if they had both lost their minds. Instead he scowled.

"What does this have to do with me?" he asked, tilting his head "This sounds like a personal problem, Hyuuga."

The brunette's hands gripped her skirt and her gaze drifted more to the ground as she bit her lip. Onyx eyes slid over to the blond who had stormed forward and slammed her hands on the table.

"It has everything to do with you Uchiha!" she snapped, clearly upset by his dismissive attitude "Whose fault do you think this is anyway? Don't try and get out of this!"

"Get out of what?" he frowned at her, glancing at Hinata for a moment before back at her "Look, I don't even know what any of this has to do with me, alright? Say whatever you want but I don't remember anything and if I don't then she sure as hell doesn't so why does it _have_ to be me? Find some other idiotic rich guy to take advantage of –"

Of course, he had been expecting the slap and didn't move away when the sharp sting hit him. Instead he glared up at the blond, his eyes narrowing.

"You're…the worst!" she actually rose her voice at him "I can't believe I used to actually like you!"

"Yeah well, I can't believe it either but you did." He muttered and before she could open her mouth to protest he glanced at Hinata "Hyuuga. A word alone." He looked back at the blond "If your guard dog is alright with that."

Ino bristled "You…"

"Ino-chan…" Hinata's voice was soft and sad "P-please…it's alright."

It was very clear that she wanted to do anything but leave her friend alone with the Uchiha but she eventually relented "Fine." She glared back at him "But when you come out I better hear something good!" spinning on her heel she stormed out, Hinata following as she closed the door gently behind her friend, closing the two teenagers in the room.

Before she could even think about turning strong arms moved around her and Hinata's hands flew to her face as she choked back a sob.

"Hinata," the earlier cold and indifferent voice was now full of warmth and concern "This has to stop. You're not protecting me by keeping up this lie." He sighed when she leaned back against him, resting his chin on her head "Tell everyone. I'm tired of hiding it anyway."

She spun on him, tears making her pale eyes glisten like twin pearls, her slender brows furrowed "But…" she looked down "But you have so much…" she trailed off and he didn't respond for a long moment, his thoughts chaotic. After a long moment he put a frustrated hand through his hair.

"Are you…sure? About…?" when she nodded he sighed again. He was obviously upset but not angry. Perhaps even a little dazed. Instead of showing just how devastated he was, he gripped her arm and frowned "Alright then." He wasn't going to ask her if she wanted to keep it; he already knew the answer. His genius mind immediately began to work a plan around dealing with what was currently going on. For one; her desire to keep their relationship a secret due to their families being bitter enemies to the point of borderline hostility would just have to be dealt with. Was there a chance that he'd be disowned when he dropped _this_ bombshell? More than likely; they had Itachi and he wasn't the only Uchiha that had been disowned for not being perfectly obedient. That he was fine with; it had been Hinata who had been strongly against them revealing themselves because of it. Of course, she would probably end up in the same situation as he, but perhaps they would shelter her because she was a girl.

_Who the hell am I kidding? This is Hyuuga we're talking about._

So then he would need to figure out something for her as well. Well, Ino had a loud mouth, maybe she could put it to good use and convince her parents…no…that probably wouldn't work. He didn't want her staying with Sakura; her mother would flip.

Would _his_ family take her? His situation was already worked out with that guy…would they let her as well?

"S-Sasuke?" his girlfriend's hand moved up to brush along his face and he smirked, grabbing it and pulling her close.

"We'll figure it out." He raised a mocking brow "And you owe me for that slap I took for you." When she flushed and began to stammer he shook his head "I was kidding, calm down." He hadn't expected the blond to slap him either but now he could hit her hard with guilt trips and yeah, he was definitely going to take advantage of it.

She made a little noise and he broke from his rapid thoughts to glance down at her. Leaning against him, she looked very upset and troubled. Since he wasn't a mind reader and Hinata had the tendency to keep things to herself unless prodded – something he wasn't very patient about – he spoke again "What is it?"

His childhood friend and girlfriend bit her lip and looked up at him, confusion mixing in with her worry and sadness "Aren't you…doesn't it…I mean…you're so calm…"

"What good would it do for both of us to freak out?" he gave her a look that showed he clearly didn't understand her line of thinking. Inwardly, however, he was panicked. Who wanted to be told at sixteen that they were going to be a father? They were _just_ starting high school then they had both done something incredibly stupid by getting drunk at a party and sleeping together – although the desire to do so had already been there long before that night. The two had been together since late elementary, early middle school but had always kept it a secret. The Uchiha and Hyuuga families were very powerful and very bitter enemies; had been since the Tokugawa era when both had been rich merchant clans. The fact that both had known they were friends had been hell to deal with growing up; _this_ was going to get them both disowned and written out of wills. It would hurt Hinata more since she was her family's heir but the entire time she had only cared about his reputation and his future with his family owned corporation. He had only honored her wishes because he hated seeing her upset. So they had hid from _everyone_; friends and family. He had always hated it, especially when his feelings for her became much more along the lines of the physical. Sexual frustration amongst other things had guided his drunken mind that night and now there was this.

He was calm because he had to be and because she needed him to be "Alright then; I have a plan but you're not going to like it." When he had her attention he decided to just flat out say it "First thing's first; if I get kicked out, I've already talked to the Namikaze family and they said I could stay with them," he held up a hand before she could speak "before you ask yeah, Naruto knows. He's kind of observant when you don't want him to be and he asks a _lot_ of annoying questions. I couldn't dodge him forever. He's known for about a year now. Anyway; with this situation, I can't just mooch off of them; I'll have to get a job." He paused "So I'm dropping out."

Her eyes widened to almost comical proportions and when she gasped and opened her mouth to speak he once again cut her off.

These past few years he had let her call all the shots. Now shit had hit the fan and it was his turn "This _isn't_ debatable, Hyuuga." He said sternly "I'll talk to Naruto's mom and dad about you staying as well; at least until I can get us enough saved up for an apartment. His dad's trying to get his own business started as well and he's got a lot of backing from the Sarutobi family. I know a lot about that crap from dad and Itachi; I'll make myself useful." He pulled her closer "_You_ focus on finishing school and when…" he paused "when the baby's born be around so we're not imposing on anyone or having to worry about paying for day care." His smile was wry "This is pretty much going to kill the rest of our childhood." He wasn't bothered by that so much. He had hated school anyway; he had always found it to be boring and a waste of time. At least now he wouldn't have to worry about fangirls – although he'd be living with the blond haired loud mouth for who knew how long.

He was terrified but it had nothing to do with his family's reactions or potentially being homeless. What terrified him was the fact that Hinata, the girl he was pretty positive he wanted to spend the rest of his life with, was going to be having their…child. There were so many things involved with that it wasn't even remotely funny and he had no idea if he would be good enough. Not only would it be up to him to provide until Hinata could get a part time job. There was the fact that she tended to stress over everything and he knew that stress was bad for both mother and child. Could he balance a job, keeping Hinata happy _and_ help her raise the baby? Hell, he didn't even _like_ children. Would he be able to love his child? Would he be a horrible father? He didn't want to be like Fugaku; he didn't want the strained relationship his parents had with Hinata, he wanted to be as close to her in the future as he was now.

It all felt so incredibly overwhelming, but he showed his girlfriend none of that. She was way more important than his stupid insecurities and he had too much pride to show such weaknesses anyway.

She wasn't happy with the situation but just like he knew when she had put her foot down on something she knew he wasn't going to be talked out of this one. Hinata gave him a thin smile and leaned forward, resting her head on his chest. She let out a small, shuddering sigh "I…know it's not right b-but…I'm happy that it's…that we're going to be doing this together."

"Tch. You thought I'd leave you over this?" he sounded insulted and she jerked back, shaking her head.

"N-no! No, it's just…I was so afraid that you'd be so angry with me and when otousan finds out he's going to…"

"Want me to go with you when you confront him?" her white eyes snapped up at him and her cheeks warmed before she looked back down again. Chuckling lightly, he pulled her chin up and dipped his head "I'll take that as a 'yes'." He closed the distance between their lips right as the door slammed open.

"What's taking you guys so…" Ino paused as she took in the Uchiha and Hyuuga embracing numbly for a few seconds. Her right brow began to twitch as she recovered, a scowl twisting her pretty features.

"Just what the hell is going on here?"

xxxxx

_Five years later…_

Rolling his eyes for the fifth time in the past five minutes Uchiha Sasuke adjusted his tie – he hated those things so much – and raised his wrist to glance at his watch. His other hand was in his pocket "Hinata." He sounded impatient "_Sometime_ tonight would be great. Naruto's an idiot, not a retard; he knows how to babysit a four year old. We're going to be late."

"What did you say, you bastard?" then voice came from inside and then "Oh shi – sorry Hinata, I didn't…yeah you know me, I'll be good! Oh hey! Wait!"

A black blur ran outside the house and slammed into his pant leg, clinging for dear life. Looking down, Sasuke resisted the urge to sigh as the little boy kept his face firmly buried right along his knee.

"Mitsuaki." It was said calmly but firmly. The boy made a noise of protest and shook his head. He tried again "Mitsuaki, you can't come with us tonight. Go inside and play with Naruto; he told us he had a bunch of really cool games to play with you."

"I don't want to!" Large, dark gray eyes looked up at the taller male with tears swimming in their depths ready to spill over at any moment. "Otousan, I want to go with you!" he clung on even tighter and buried his face once again "I want to be with otousan!"

_Why couldn't he have gone through this phase with Hinata?_ Sasuke mentally grumbled as he took in his son who was in his phase where he could _not_ go anywhere or do anything without his father being right there. Whenever he went to work in the morning it was a virtual nightmare unless he left early and even that didn't always work since Mitsuaki was a light sleeper and tended to be a little bundle of energy. He would cry at day care, he'd cry even if Sasuke went to the store and didn't take him along. Apparently, okaasan wasn't good enough although she tried. It was starting to hurt her feelings and that was just even more stressful. So he had a clingy son in his 'I have to have otousan near twenty four seven' and his wife of three years who was becoming depressed because she felt that her son didn't love her as much anymore. It didn't help that Hinata was pregnant with their second child; it only made her moodier which meant crying and more headaches and he really needed a damn vacation. The _only_ thing that would be good about this night was the significance it would hold.

Getting down on one knee he grabbed his son's small shoulders, his expression stern. Tears began to fall down chubby cheeks now at his father's look, some genuine, some in an attempt to soften his heart and bend to his will like he was able to get his mother to. Resisting the urge to roll his eyes as the boy's theatrics he raised a hand and lightly flicked the boy's forehead. There was a yelp and then the child jumped back a bit, rubbing at the red spot. Smiling, Sasuke ruffled his hair "Sorry, Aki, next time, alright? This dinner is very important."

Mitsuaki pouted "You always say that otousan but…" he looked down and the father started at the familiar expression. How many times had he looked like that as a child for the same reasons? Something hard settled at the pit of his stomach as he realized what he was doing with his son. No wonder the boy was clinging onto him so much, they really _didn't_ spend a lot of time together.

_I swore to myself I wouldn't do that to him._

"Alright, let's make a deal." He glanced up briefly as Hinata walked toward them, a small smile on her beautiful face as she regarded the two males dearest to her "If you be good tonight I'll take the weekend off. The three of us can go wherever you want."

"Really?" he asked and even Hinata seemed startled by the proclamation. Sasuke nodded.

"Yeah, but you have to behave. I don't want to hear that you were crying or complaining about a million things…although anything else that gets on Naruto's nerves is fair game."

"Hey!" Naruto emerged at the threshold, blue eyes blazing "I heard that! Man, just you wait until Hinata pops out that kid, I'm gonna spoil the hell out of him!"

"Naruto-kun!" it was a soft reprimand from Hinata and he looked sheepish.

"Sorry. I promise to watch my mouth…so go! Get going or you'll be late to that dinner thingie!"

With little effort the Uchiha lifted his son up and into his arms, walking over to the entrance and handing Mitsuaki to his uncle. He ruffled the boy's dark purple hair again.

"So what are we _not_ going to do when I leave?" he raised an eyebrow skeptically but the little boy gave him a grin that reminding him almost eerily of himself at that age.

"No crying and complaining!" he chirped in his high-pitched child voice. Sasuke tried not to wince; had he sounded like that at four?

"Alright then. We'll be back in a few hours, think you can hold out that long?" the boy nodded enthusiastically and Sasuke ruffled his hair again. This turned into light protests when his mother pulled his bangs back and kissed his forehead.

"Okaasan, I'm too old for kisses!" he protested and with a grin Sasuke grabbed his wife and pulled her close and kissing her cheek – which his son thought was just gross.

"Well," he turned, putting an arm around her as they walked to the car "okaasan can kiss me anytime." He purred in his wife's ear when they were out of earshot, making her blush horribly "Maybe a little more if we can squeeze out of this dinner early…"

"Sasuke!" he rolled his eyes at her protest and she giggled "You're awful. And I'm already almost five months pregnant…"

He snorted "Like that's _really_ going to stop me." His hand did move down to her lightly swollen belly, however, a small smile emerging. This one had been somewhat planned and he had to admit it felt different seeing her pregnant now that he was an adult and they were more than financially stable. It had been hard and a struggle; the two of them had not only made it through but they had married shortly after she had graduated from high school. They had Mitsuaki, their growing child, and the two of them had never been happier.

She spoke again when they were in the car "You know, I thought you had that project this weekend…"

"So what? Don't worry about that." He spared her a brief glance "Aki's been acting like that because I'm hardly ever around."

"Well…I suppose so. But that's –"

"Not going to become a habit." Another glance "I can make time so I am. Speaking of that; pick a weekend, Hinata. We haven't done anything together since Aki was a toddler, so we'll go somewhere before you get too far along."

A slender hand slid over his on the wheel "You don't have to do this Sasuke." Her smile was warm "Just having you around is enough."

He snorted and didn't say anything else, deciding he'd just plan the trip for them. Sometimes Hinata didn't get it – he wanted to go somewhere _without_ his son for a few days. He loved his son like none other but sometimes he wanted his wife to himself.

The dinner was at a popular convention center at a very expensive and high class hotel. Adjusting his tie so that he looked more professional instead of the loose look he had donned earlier, he let the valet take the keys to his car and offered his arm to his beautiful wife wearing the long and elegant pale blue gown – custom made thankyouverymuch.

The moment they walked through the sliding glass doors three very familiar figures greeted them. The young Uchiha couple smiled at the sight.

"Neji-niisan!" immediately Hinata rushed over to her cousin who pulled her in for a hug before taking a step back to look at her.

"Hinata-sama that dress compliments you well." He greeted with a thin smile. There seemed to be something wistful in his pale gaze "How far along are you now?"

"About five months." She looked at the other two men "Gaara-san, Itachi-san."

A regal brow rose as Itachi stepped forward to kiss her hand "So, Neji gets the title of 'niisan' but I don't?" he sighed but there was a warm smile on his face "And here I thought you had come to consider me a brother as well."

Sasuke rolled his eyes as his wife spluttered her apologies and turned to the redhead "You actually came to one of these?" the vice president of Sabaku corporation rarely came to these dinners; he normally refused to be bothered.

The redhead shrugged, tilting his head towards the other two men "Scapegoat, alibi, convenient excuse; call me whichever title you prefer." A small smile emerged "I am about to disown them as my friends; they never call on me unless they need something."

Hinata was still idly chatting with the other two so they missed the look Sasuke gave Gaara "You…serious?" Talk about _irony_. Disown the two leftovers and favor the prodigies – only for said prodigies to end up becoming lovers as well. If it weren't for the fact that it'd cause a scene he would have burst out laughing. "Is this new?"

Gaara shook his head "Hardly. Try three years. In any case, both heads of Hyuuga and Uchiha are here tonight; they know you two were on the guest list…" he smiled again "But Namikaze didn't specify your titles. I am assuming he did this on purpose?"

Smirking, Sasuke shrugged "He might have."

Greetings exchanged Itachi motioned to have a small word with his little brother.

"Gaara and I will escort Hinata-sama." Neji informed them and left the two Uchiha as they walked into the main hall.

"They are giving us the companies, Sasuke." Were Itachi's words when they were alone. Instead of looking surprised, the younger brother grinned "Although some things did not exactly go as according to plan…"

"You mean like becoming involved with your 'partner in crime'?" the elder Uchiha blinked for only a moment before smiling wryly.

"There's that, yes. I am sure the irony didn't escape you; it certainly didn't escape us. In any case, Hiashi had actually called a press conference and declared that he would be giving the company to Neji by the end of the year. My ascension is only a few months away. We expect to have full control by spring of next year. By summer we will implement our plan. Namikaze is aware and will be backing us, as will the Sarutobi. It has been a long time coming."

He could only nod. If all went to plan by summer of next year the Hyuuga and Uchiha corporations would undergo a merger, finally uniting and ending the gap of discontent and hatred between the two. It was only the beginning; making things legal didn't erase old prejudices, but half of the ones that would be against it were old and decrepit as far as Sasuke was concerned. The two families had once been very close, intermarrying constantly to the point where they had become one large family. How it all went to hell no one quite knew but the four of them had agreed: it was time for it to end.

"Am I going to be invited to the wedding?" he asked his older brother playfully as they walked into the main hall. Itachi merely gave him a look that showed he was clearly not amused. He continued to tease "So…who will be wearing the dress, you or Neji – ow!" he winced, a hand moving to rub the sore spot on his forehead. Damn that Itachi, he was still faster than him.

A slow smile spread on his brother's face "Foolish otouto. Who do you see more likely in a dress, myself or Neji?"

A pause and then "…Okay, point taken." Neji was taller but he was also the more slender of the two and his hair was ridiculously long for a man. He liked to wear white anyway.

Rejoining Hinata, he pulled her to his side to whisper the good news. Her eyes widened and happiness clear as day shined in those beautiful orbs. That look; the look she was giving him right at that moment was the reason he had gone out of his way to plan this. He had approached Itachi and Neji from the beginning and they had been completely on board with it. He knew how much Hinata had hated leaving her family and how much she missed them. She wanted Mitsuaki to know his family. She wanted Sasuke's mother to spoil their son like she's been crying about wanting to do for years – she was also in on the plan. All of this elaborate planning he had done for her…and if he was honest with himself, for his growing family.

"Sasuke!" speaking of grandmothers, Mitsuaki's surviving grandmother was now quickly approaching the couple. Behind her was the brothers' stony faced father, who was acting as if it was bringing him physical pain to approach. Uchiha Mikoto immediately began to rub her hand along Hinata's stomach, cooing softly "Oh, Hinata-chan it's so _good_ to see you again. How many years has it been?"

"Not nearly long enough." Uchiha Fugaku had finally arrived. When he scowled at Neji as if he were intruding the vice president of the Hyuuga corporation bowed politely and excused himself, promising to speak with Hinata later.

His wife shrunk under the terse reply but Sasuke's arm only tightened around her as he regarded his father coolly "Fugaku." He refused to call the man who had disowned him 'father'.

Which was apparently fine with him "Sasuke. I must admit, when I saw your name on the guest list I had been a little surprised. I hadn't been aware that you had been working under the Namikaze family. I thought for sure it had been a misprint."

Itachi's face became completely devoid of all emotion and when Mikoto moved to step in Sasuke smirked, cutting her off in the process. Letting go of Hinata, he took a step forward and held out his hand in the more western style greeting "Well then, I'll properly introduce myself. Uchiha Sasuke, vice president of Namikaze Incorporated. Minato really had wanted to make it but there was a family emergency and well…I'm sure you understand how that goes."

'Family emergency' meaning 'trip to two to Aruba', of course. Fugaku could only stare at him and Sasuke was a little disappointed and somewhat insulted. He should have known his son wouldn't have simply sat idle after being thrown out; especially with a kid having been on the way.

_They need to step down; they're too ignorant to take their companies any farther._

When Fukagu didn't take his hand he turned to his mother "Mitsuaki is going to start elementary school next year and he's already showing above average intelligence. We have a picture of you in our house; he thinks you're beautiful and wants to meet you."

Mikoto began to tear up and Hinata moved forward, taking the older woman's hand "Sasuke and I…we're doing very well. We just purchased a house and we'll be sending Aki to a private school. We would…really love it if you came by for dinner one night. He would love to meet you."

Before he could even open his mouth to protest a dark glare came from Mikoto and her husband immediately went silent. It was only a matter of time before her 'grandmother' instincts would overwhelm and if she kept in contact with Hinata after this it would only be a matter of time before she showed up at their door, with or without her husband.

"Sasuke…" his mother came up to him and took his hand, a small, watery smile on her face "I'm…really proud of you and…" she looked at Fugaku who was pointedly ignoring them before looking back at him "and he won't admit it but he's proud of you too. Even…after everything…you're doing so well." She pulled him close and he hugged her briefly before taking a step back.

After the run in with Sasuke's parents and parting with Itachi, Neji came by to deliver a message from Hiashi.

"He apparently discovered your position," the long haired male said "He's already left, but he wants to schedule a luncheon with you and Namikaze-san." He smiled wryly "I think he's impressed at how successful you've become in such a short amount of time. Oh, and Hinata-sama was definitely invited."

His wife gave his arm a squeeze "Do you think…maybe they'll come around?"

"It will change none of our plans," Neji shrugged "But it seems if nothing else, they are curious. That is a start at least. More than what I ever would have given them credit for."

This seemed to be fine with Hinata and for her husband as well. He might not care for his father or his father-in-law; but being together would make his wife happy. "Oh hey, you and a 'guest' should stop by one night at our house." Sasuke resisted the urge to snicker at the thought of his earlier conversation with Itachi concerning a certain Hyuuga and white dresses "If you want."

Since Neji hadn't been around for the earlier conversations he blanched, flushed, and then looked away from Sasuke's knowing smirk "R-right." Hinata, of course, was completely confused but Sasuke decided to explain it to her later "Well, since Hiashi-sama has left I shall also be taking my leave. I have…prior dinner arrangements."

"Really." The Hyuuga blushed even more and politely excused himself, leaving a very baffled Hinata "Come on, I'll explain it to you in the car."

xxxxx

He could feel her smiling at him as he gently laid their son down on his bed. Normally this would wake Mitsuaki since he was such a light sleeper but whenever he went to 'uncle' Naruto's house he always came back dead tired. Trust the blond idiot to have more energy than a four year old.

It was when they were just getting into bed that the Uchiha pulled his wife close under the covers, a small smirk on his handsome features.

"No." he said out of the blue and she frowned at him, not quite understanding.

"Sasuke?" her hand raised to brush fingertips along pale skin and he pulls her closer, burying his face in her neck.

"Every now and then you get this look on your face," he explained "and I've known you long enough to know what it is. You saw my family and then there was your dad's message…you wonder sometimes if I wished things would have turned out differently." She stiffened and inwardly he smiled. He knew her too well. It was always a worried look she would give him and it had only taken a few times of seeing it to know what was on her mind "The answer is 'no'. I was scared, don't get me wrong; being a father at sixteen hadn't exactly been on my list of things to do…but I hadn't regretted it then either."

"Oh…" she smiled warmly at him "I didn't say it at the time but…I never regretted it either. Living with you, raising our son…it was hard for a while but…I was happy. I _am_ happy. E-even if otousan and your father don't accept us in the end…as long as I have you two – " she cut herself off and put a hand over her stomach "three – it's enough. I love you and I'm glad you convinced me to do things this way. If I had a choice to go back and do it over…I wouldn't change anything – not even becoming pregnant with Mitsuaki."

"Hn. Good." Rolling over on his back he pulled her close as she snuggled next to him "I wouldn't either."


	5. Love Triangles

**AN: **askgjdf I now know why I make it a solid habit _not_ to do real love triangles in stories: I suck at them and I kind of hate doing it(Love reading them though). You guys have absolutely no idea how many times I rewrote this yesterday and how many scenes I scrapped. This story actually had a completely different plot and I scrapped it and just…gjgrfdsk. It's also the shortest out of them all.

A challenge this was, because I honestly don't like doing love triangles in my stories, not long lasting ones anyway. Anyway, I've gotten over 60 reviews in less than a week! Holy crap guys, you're awesome, amazing, and all those other wonderful positive words that describe your magnificence. *hearts forever* Enjoy!

Note: It doesn't specify by the end of the story they're in their 4th year of college meaning they're in their early twenties.

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**SasuHina Week Day 5: Love Triangles**

**He Was an Idiot to Let Her Go**

**By: Catriana**

xxxxx

"_I'm…I'm so sorry Hinata…" he even bowed, his blue eyes filled with pain, guilt, and regret. Not regret over what he was doing; regret over the pain he was causing her. "It's just…things are different now, you know? I still really, really care about you but…I'm really very sorry!"_

xxxxx

Trust Naruto to be vague as hell. Trying hard not to grumble Uchiha Sasuke sat on his chair backwards, his arms folded over the back. Onyx eyes were taking in the weeping woman in front of him with no small amount of irritation. Why did she come to _him_ anyway? What the hell was he supposed to tell her?

"I-I'm so sorry…Sasuke-san…" the pale woman wiped at her eyes as tears flowed freely. Biting back a sigh he reached behind him and grabbed a box of Kleenex and handed it to her.

This wasn't his problem. It wasn't that he hated the girl or anything, if nothing else they were loose friends, but Naruto was his best friend and he really didn't want to be involved in this. At all. There was more to it than that, but then that would mean admitting to something he had been keeping buried for the past five years. He wanted it to stay that way. Buried.

"Hinata," she hiccupped and he put a hand through his hair "look, I'm not really sure what you want me to tell you, I mean –"

"I wouldn't have done this i-if…" she sniffled again "I'm really sorry to ask b-but I just…was it something I did? You're his best friend and I just…closure…"

He couldn't tell her the truth. If Naruto hadn't had the balls to do it him telling her would just make his life miserable. He wanted to growl at her; it wasn't like he didn't get it but this really _wasn't_ his problem. "You didn't do anything wrong." _He's just an idiot._ "There's nothing wrong with you, it really _is_ him and not you and you really should just go ahead and forget about the guy."

At least he wasn't lying. There was absolutely nothing wrong with Hinata and Naruto really was a straight idiot for dumping her. From what she was telling him, Naruto had been pretty vague about why he had decided to all of a sudden break up with her. He knew the real reason of course – after years of thinking that Haruno Sakura wouldn't give him the time of day because of her annoying crush on Sasuke, she had finally come to her senses and confessed. It wasn't as if the situation had been sneaky or underhanded – Sakura had been gone for years and hadn't known that Naruto had a girlfriend at the time when she had told him. Naruto also didn't cheat on Hinata, but he didn't think it was right to be with her when he obviously still loved Sakura.

It made sense to Sasuke and while it sucked for Hinata, it was better this than Naruto living the lie and hurting her even more later. It wasn't as if people could help what they felt.

He knew this from personal experience.

Surprisingly enough, a small smile emerged on her lips as she regarded him "Th-thank you…since it's you saying it…I believe you. It does hurt a lot a-and I know it's probably more than what everyone is saying but…if you say it's not my fault then…"

Naruto should have told her the truth. It really didn't matter what he said; she would still feel as if things had been left open ended, which they had. He'd never admit it but he hated seeing her cry like this, especially over _that_ guy.

_If you were mine, I'd never let you go._

He backtracked and put a firm stomp on that thought and the feelings that came with it. He had been doing so well and then Naruto had to go and break up with her. The fact that there was now an opportunity there was making all of it come back. But he refused, _refused_ to give into them. He would be second fiddle to no guy, especially not to Uzumaki Naruto. He had his pride.

Drying her eyes the Hyuuga slowly stood up, her smile widening, eyes warm and watery "I'm really sorry for bothering you Sasuke-san…I know you hate these sorts of things but I didn't know who else to go to. I…thank you for putting up with me."

_Stop doing that. Stop doing and saying things that make me…_

"It's fine, I'm not mad." He told her, frowning a bit "I know you love Naruto so I won't lie to you; it wasn't your fault but I don't think he'll change his mind either."

The smile turned bittersweet "I…I know. Thank you for your honesty…I'm sorry once again for bothering you."

…_Damnit._ "It…" he sighed, leaning back as he put a hand through his hair "You're not bothering me. You just wanted some closure; I guess if I was in your shoes I'd be the same way. But seriously, Hinata, the guy's an idiot, especially if he broke up with you." He stood up "You might not believe it but there are guys who wouldn't mind taking Naruto's place. " _Like me._

Her face turned an interesting shade of red and her eyes widened in surprise "R-really?"

_If only you knew._ Just about all of the single guys in their group would jump at the chance to date the Hyuuga with the constant blush and cute smile. A lot of it was physical, she had an amazing body, but about half of it was simply who she was as a person. "Yeah. So anyway, you're not a bother and you never have been…so if you need something, as long as it's not stupid, I don't mind helping."

She giggled again and he found himself smirking a bit in response "Thank you, Sasuke-san…"

"Sasuke." He corrected, the smirk disappearing "Are we friends or what? How many times have I told you to drop the 'san' crap?" he sure as hell didn't use honorifics. Never had, never would. He jerked his thumb towards his door "You want ice cream or something? Isn't that what girls do, eat a tub of ice cream and watch some sappy movie?"

More than likely it was because he was actually serious that Hinata burst out laughing, her hand covering her mouth, trying to hold it in and failing. When she eventually calmed down she looked up at him, her eyes shining. Something hard settled at the bottom of his gut and he inwardly cursed at himself. "D-do you have a sappy movie?" she asked light heartedly, still giggling a bit.

Although everything in his mind told him that he should drop the offer and have her leave before he did anything completely stupid, he ended up doing it anyway "I think Itachi's got something, c'mon, let's take a look."

He knew he was going to regret this later.

xxxxx

"Hey, Uchiha! I heard Uzumaki and Hyuuga broke up. You know anything about that?"

"Do you think I care?"

"Yo, Sasuke, you think if I asked Hinata out she'd give me a shot?"

"No."

"Dude, can you tell me –"

"If one more person –" Sasuke cut off, closing the container to his lunch "asks me one more question about Hinata and her single status I'm going to answer it. _With my fist._" He slowly began to put his things away in his book bag. It wasn't like he was going to have any peace and quiet anyway "I am _not_ her keeper, I'm not a damn gossip mill, leave me the hell alone."

Some of the guys that had been surrounding him at the cafeteria table grumbled and skulked off while Inuzuka Kiba, Aburame Shino, and Sai continued to sit and eat since that was their normal table anyway.

"Well, if it's true, I think I might ask her out." Kiba said between bites of his food and Sasuke had to fight to keep his brow from twitching in irritation. "She's pretty cute and sweet; I always thought a girl like her was wasted on Uzumaki."

Sasuke hated the fact that he felt the exact same way. "What makes you think she's going to jump at the chance to date some other guy?" he asked.

"I agree." That was Shino "Why? Because she loved Uzumaki. I don't think she'd be willing to jump into another relationship."

"You could always just wait the standard amount of time." Sai offered, also beginning to put his lunch away.

Kiba snorted "There's a 'standard time'?" he sounded incredulous.

"Usually six months to a year." The Aburame supplied "That way it's not considered a rebound relationship."

"Che." Grinning, Kiba rubbed a finger under his nose in a cocky gesture "It wouldn't be a rebound if she was dating _me_."

"Idiot." Sasuke stood up, having heard enough of the conversation "Do whatever you want, just _don't_ come to me crying about your problems or for information on Hinata."

The Inuzuka laughed "Don't worry Uchiha, you won't _need_ to hear from me."

xxxxx

"S-Sasuke?" Hinata was sitting on a bench at the park with him, Ino, Chouji, and Shikamaru had gone off right quick to buy some snacks

He was leaning back, looking up at the gray winter sky "Yeah?"

Poking her fingers together she looked down at her lap, frowning "K-Kiba-kun…he um…asked me out the other day."

"Why are you telling me this?" he hadn't meant to sound as snappish as he did but he couldn't take back the words now. A year had passed since her breakup with Naruto and it seemed as if she had finally moved on. They were definitely close friends although lately some mixed signals had been popping up between them. He hadn't been able to figure out how to deal with it; did she like him or had he been reading into her actions lately? If so, did he want to pursue it? He didn't want to be with her if she had lingering feelings for Naruto; he still had no intentions of being 'second best'.

She frowned slightly, opened her mouth as if to say something and then shook her head "N-nothing…I suppose."

_You suppose? What does that mean?_ He wasn't even going to attempt to read into that. "Are you asking me if you should or not?"

Hinata shook her head and looked a little uncomfortable "No…I'm sorry. I'm bothering you. I just…" she sighed "Well, I s-should get going."

_Wait._

"…Alright then. See you Hinata."

_Stop her._

He didn't.

xxxxx

Naruto was lying upside down on Sasuke's bed when he opened his mouth and spoke "You're such an idiot."

There was an audible cracking noise from Sasuke's desk and then a sharp noise left Naruto as his cheeks were being pulled on hard.

"Those words…" Sasuke's eyes were narrowed into slits as he growled the words out "Did _those words_ just come out of _this mouth_?"

"Ahm schorry! Ahm schorry! Lesh go!" he flailed about but Sasuke was relentless for about a solid minute before finally releasing him; sitting back as Naruto sat up rubbing his sore face. "You didn't have to get so _mad_ about it, bastard." His eyes squinted and he crossed his arms "If it was me you would have said the same thing! 'Oh hey, bastard, I've been in love with Sakura since, like, forever but I refuse to say anything so now she's dating someone else and it's pissing me off.'" His voice switched to sound deeper, trying to mock Sasuke's voice "'You're an idiot, Naruto. You don't have anyone to blame but yourself, you loser.'" His voice returned to normal "That's what you'd say and you know it!"

"_You_ don't get to use my lines." The brunette snapped, refusing to admit Naruto had a point. For two months he had sat back and watched Hinata and Kiba go out on a few dates and while he had thought he would have been fine with it all he really wanted to do was rip the Inuzuka limb from limb whenever he even so much as looked at Hinata fondly.

_She belongs with me._

He had stopped trying to quell his thoughts when it came to her. A year had passed and she had seemed to be over Naruto. He could have said something but had refrained. His opportunity had been wide open and he had walked away. Why? What the hell was his problem?

"Well, I dunno who this girl is," the blond spoke up, cutting him from his thoughts "But it sounds like to me you got it bad. You've always gone out of your way to get what you wanted before, why stop now?"

That…was a good point. "Whatever." He snapped, his equivalent of an affirmative when it came to Naruto "I'll figure something out."

xxxxx

Dark slitted eyes narrowed in confusion and Kiba tilted his head to the side "Wait; let me see if I got this right," he began to scratch his cheek "You want to challenge me? For Hinata?"

Crossing his arms, the Uchiha smirked "No, I'm _telling_ you to give up on her. This isn't a competition."

The other male looked like he wanted to throttle him "What the hell is your problem, Uchiha? You never once even hinted that you liked Hinata and _now_ all of a sudden that she's got a boyfriend you wanna step in? Where the hell do you get off?"

"Stop living in denial, mutt." Sasuke frowned slightly "She's _not_ your girlfriend. You guys have gone on a few dates and you've been making moves that have been _failing_. I know because I'm her friend too. I'm trying to be nice about this; if you give up now your feelings won't get hurt later."

His face turned red with embarrassment before he covered it with anger "You wanna be that way, fine!" a cocky grin spread on his roguish features "How about this? We'll both go on a date with Hinata and let _her_ decide." Crossing his arms the grin spread "I'll even let you go first to be sporting."

Letting him go first was an intimidation tactic and he knew it…but it worked anyway due to his insecurity. He wasn't going to show it and he wasn't going to back down either. He wasn't going to sit on the sidelines while someone took her away for good. Not anymore. "No thanks, you go first, you'll need it." He ticked off the score as being 1-1 when Kiba stiffened and looked unsure of himself. He wasn't nearly as confident as he believed.

"Whatever, Uchiha. We'll see." Was the response and Sasuke merely smirked in response.

_Sorry mutt, but I always get what I want and I've wanted her for a long time. You're just going to have to find someone else._

xxxxx

"This…is unbelievable." Sasuke's voice was empty of all emotion as he and Hinata stood in front of the only movie theatre in town…which was currently burnt to the ground. So much for the movies.

She adjusted her thick coat on her body and gave him a reassuring smile "It's…it's okay Sasuke. Maybe we could do something else." She shivered a bit and he frowned down at her. He was actually surprised she had agreed to participate in their challenge; she seemed more of the person to go with her heart. She had seemed highly uncomfortable about it to her credit, but Inuzuka had been persistent.

Taking in her shivering form he unwrapped his scarf from his neck and wrapped it around hers, ignoring the wide eyed look she was giving him. "You're cold aren't you?" he offered in explanation "This will help keep you a little warmer."

He couldn't tell if she was blushing since her face was flushed from the cold but he took it as a good sign when she smiled warmly at him and pulled the scarf closer to her face "Th-thank you."

Looking at his watch he turned to her "Well, there's the museum nearby if you want to go there." When she nodded he took her hand and smiled thinly. A minor setback but nothing serious.

The museum was closed for renovations so they tried for one of the malls. The mall was temporarily closed due to some sort of rodent problem and would open back up next week. It was as if the fates were conspiring against him; he was sure Kiba's date with Hinata had gone flawlessly. Insecurity crept back up and he squashed it back down. He would make this work, there was dinner and he had reservations so there was no way it'd be closed.

So instead they walked around aimlessly, somewhat awkward silence between them. He really didn't know what to say to her and she seemed to want to say something but was too uncomfortable to speak. He had thought this dating thing would be loads easier than it was because really, how hard _could_ it be? He had never been on a date before and had never had a girlfriend; he hadn't wanted to be bothered. His inexperience was definitely showing and slowly but surely as the night went on that insecurity finally succeeded in creeping back in and settling down. For years he had kept silent and then had said nothing when Kiba had made a move. Now he was on this awkward date with her and who knew what she was thinking at this point? More than likely she was probably wondering why he was even bothering when he didn't seem interested.

_When we go to dinner I'll tell her everything. If there's one thing I know about Hinata, it's that she's understanding and forgiving._ All he needed was a chance; after that he knew he could get her to fall for him, it was just getting to that point that was the problem.

When they finally walked over to the restaurant he knew some higher being was screwing with him. There was an ambulance sitting outside and the owner was frantic about something. The two stood a distance away, staring at the scene before them before Sasuke sighed. He was half expecting a meteor to come crashing down and destroying half the city; everything else that had happened today had been freak occurrences so why not? It couldn't ruin the date anymore than it had. Putting a hand over his face he let out an aggravated noise. "I'll take you home. Sorry about all the crazy stuff that happened."

"A-actually…" when he paused and looked at her she buried her face underneath the scarf, hiding her mouth and nose "W-would you like to um…come back to my place? It won't be much but I'm sure I could make us something."

"You want to do that?" he asked without thinking, genuinely surprised that she still wanted to continue the date after everything. She nodded and he smiled slightly "Sure."

xxxxx

"I'm sorry it's not much…" she looked genuinely apologetic as they sat at her little round table in her dining room. She had made some shrimp tempura and miso with rice.

Sasuke shrugged "It's good." He wasn't at all lying; even though it was something so basic it was the best tasting tempura and miso he had ever had. Was it just because she had made it or…?

"W-when…" he almost hadn't heard her speak up but when he looked at her he saw how her expression was confused and concerned "When you asked me to go on this date I was so surprised. I had always thought that…" she sighed, a little frustrated at herself and her inability to convey herself the way she wanted "You and Kiba-kun…is this…I mean you had always seemed to want to be friends so I thought –"

He knew where she was going and he grimaced. Time to bite the bullet. "At first I didn't say anything because you had always loved Naruto and I didn't want to be second best; I wouldn't have been able to stand it. I had still kind of felt that way a year later when Inuzuka finally decided he was going to make a move so when you approached me about it I didn't say anything then either."

Her hands flew to her mouth "Oh! Are you…are you saying that even then…?"

The Uchiha shrugged "Yeah. I got tired of seeing the two of you together; it was pissing me off and that's why I finally said something. I've liked you since high school, four years before you started dating Naruto." She gasped, her eyes widening and he continued "I'm tired of sitting on the sidelines, that's all."

"I…" she looked down at her food and nodded "I understand."

Things were still a little awkward after that but he actually was at a loss of what to do. Nothing had gone right and she hadn't given any indication one way or the other on how she had felt about his words. Was it already too late?

He helped her clean up and then decided to leave, hating the fact that he actually felt disheartened. When it came to Hinata it seemed that he never did anything right and he didn't understand it. What was so difficult? Why was it like this?

"Thanks for dinner, and sorry about everything." He shrugged on his thick coat, his gaze at the door. Would he have to concede defeat to Inuzuka? No…he would just have to try something else. He didn't give a damn what that mutt said; until Hinata told him she wasn't at all interested he would keep trying. He had harbored his feelings for so long, he knew what he felt wasn't a crush, it was much more than that. Not even mentally would he admit to the 'L' word, but he knew that's what it was.

"S-Sasuke?" Hinata's soft voice drew his attention and he stiffened slightly when he felt her hand on his arm.

It had been very obvious when she had stood on her tiptoes and leaned in that she had been aiming for his cheek, however, when she had called his name he had turned at the last minute. She missed his cheek completely and ended up brushing her lips against his. Both were startled by this but it was Sasuke who recovered first, taking a chance and leaning forward. He watched as her widened eyes became hooded and emboldened, he tilted his head and turned, wrapping his arms around her to pull her close. When he felt her arms move around his neck he made a small sound, enjoying the feel of her lips against his.

Despite never having a girlfriend, he somewhat knew how to kiss…reluctantly. Despite the incident-that-shall-not-be-named in high school with Naruto; other girls had taken advantage of him over the years, usually while he had been asleep – which he still felt was creepy. It was Hinata who guided him further, coaxing him to part for her. He followed her lead, his hand moving into her hair as their tongues mingled, both merely exploring, neither trying to dominate.

Need hit him hard and when they parted he found himself unable to keep from trailing his lips down her neck, his other hand splayed along her hip. He breathed her name between his kisses, fingers sliding underneath the fabric of her shirt just a bit to graze along smooth and flawless skin.

When they moved apart to take in air both of their faces were flushed and he felt way too hot in his coat. Slowly, her hands slid up his chest and pearl colored eyes met his onyx. "That day…when I told you that Kiba-kun had asked me out I had told you because…" she looked down "I had hoped you'd tell me not to do it. W-when you didn't I figured that you weren't inter –" she was cut off as the Uchiha crushed her against his body, claiming her lips with more force.

_I was being an idiot._ She had wanted to be with him and he had pushed her away. Well, he wasn't prone to doing stupid things more than once and now that she'd said that it was as good as done; she wasn't going _anywhere_.

"I'm not giving you up to Inuzuka." He said sternly when they parted once more "If you still feel the way you did then, I'm not letting you go, Hinata. You belong with me." There. He said it. After six years of thinking it, he finally said it out loud.

She looked up at him and then looked back down "My feelings…aren't the same." Confusion, a little bit of panic, and something deeper moved through him but he said nothing, instead waiting to see if she'd continue. When she looked up at him again relief filled him "They're…stronger." She smiled slightly "Knowing that you have feelings for me – that makes me really happy. With Kiba-kun I…" she frowned, guilt emerging "I did try but it always felt that something was missing. I knew what it was but I had been trying to forget it because I hadn't known the truth and –" once again she was cut off by his kiss and she made no protest when he lifted her up into his arms.

"He was an idiot to let you go," he said and she blushed at the words, knowing who he was talking about "and I was an idiot to let you walk away. I don't make it a habit to repeat mistakes, especially not someone else's. Tell me right now if you don't want this to happen, Hinata, because after this you're stuck with me."

Her hands slid into his hair and she pulled him down for a kiss "Good." She whispered softly along his lips "Because…I won't stand for being dumped again." She smiled "So, you're stuck with me too."

"Hn." When he began to walk towards the bedroom and she didn't protest he grinned wickedly at her "I can live with that." He said and kissed her as they crossed the threshold.


	6. Change

**AN:** I _finally_ finished the last story for this week! *dies forever* It was rough, as you can see from the word count I've done quite a bit of writing in the past six days! It was fun though and I'm really glad you all have liked the stories so far. As I write this there are almost 90 reviews. 90 guys! I'm so very honored, thank you all so very much!

This day was supposed to be 'Change', and in this one it could be anything from cosplay, genderbending, to AU's from another anime. I went with the Anime _Slayers_(or _The Slayers_ in the US) so if you don't know anything about it…it's an amazing show. Personalities tweaked accordingly. For your friendly guide:

Sakura Haruno – Lina Inverse

Naruto Uzumaki – Gourry Gabriev

Sasuke Uchiha – Zelgadis Greywords

Hinata Hyuuga – Amelia Wil Tesla Seyruun

More at the bottom.

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**SasuHina Week Day Six: Change**

**The Shaman and the Priestess**

**By: Catriana**

xxxxx

"Just ignore them Hinata," the surly chimera grumbled, looking off to the side "Life is much happier that way."

Giggling, the young woman glanced over at the blond and pink haired couple who were currently fighting for the last meatball.

"Give it to me Naruto!" the pink haired sorceress growled, locked in a knife and fork stalemate "That's the last one and it has my name written all over it!"

"In your dreams, Sakura!" the blond swordsman countered, surprisingly having to struggle against the much smaller female "I spied it first, get your own!"

"I can't idiot, it's the last one!"

"They sure do know how to eat, right Sasuke-san?" Hinata asked him, finishing up her last bite of her meal. Gently, although he probably couldn't really feel it, she poked him with her fork, as he had been staring off in the distance "Sasuke-san?"

Slamming his hands on the table the shaman stood, glaring at the other two. Sakura had won the battle for the last meatball and Naruto had his head on the table, tears pouring down his eyes like waterfalls.

"My meatball…" he whined

"We're wasting time here!" Sasuke snapped "Sakura, you promised we'd reach Seyruun by the end of the week two weeks ago!"when green eyes merely blinked up at him he growled at her "You know, white magic capital of the world?" he pointed to Hinata "Her _dad_ is the crown prince there? Big library full of stuff that could potentially _turn me back to normal_?"

There was a long pause before Sakura turned, placing her hand in her fist "Oh yeah, I knew we were forgetting something…"

Collecting himself up off the ground after face vaulting with the others, the chimera snatched his sword from the wall and attached it to his hip "Forget it. I don't even know why I travel with you; I could have done this by myself." He moved to leave when a small hand gently touched his sleeve and he looked down at the Seyruun princess "Hinata…"

"I'm sure otousan will be more than happy to help you once we get there, Sasuke-san. Just a little while longer?" her voice had a silent plea to it and he growled at her. It _would_ be a lot easier if he didn't have to sneak in and with the crown prince Hiashi supporting him, he might even be able to get access to the more secret archives.

_I just have to endure the idiots._ He thought miserably, looking down at the other two who were giving him looks.

"Fine." He looked over at the young woman who had convinced him to stick around – again. Hinata Hyuuga of the royal Seyruun family. She was a white magic user and upon joining their group she had begun to pick up on his specialty of shaman magic, the astral side specifically. Sakura Haruno was infamous around the world for her black magic abilities, foul temper, no figure, and ability to spook dragons with her face alone. She was also one of the few who had been able to defeat _the_ dark lord Shabrinigdo who had been residing in his blind ancestor Madara's eyes – one of the seven pieces anyway. The same ancestor that had turned him into a chimera when he had went to him for power. Years had passed and yet he still had no cure; he was beginning to grow desperate.

Hinata was a breath of fresh air in comparison to the other two who bickered and, if Sakura was in a volatile mood, used magic to blow the blond swordsman up into the stratosphere. She was easier to deal and reason with. She was less annoying. She wasn't nearly as loud although she had this thing about justice and fate and other dumb crap like that. As long as her cousin or father wasn't around, that aspect of her was usually pretty tame. Disgruntled, he decided at the very least he had enough of the other two for now and decided to go and take a bath before settling down for the night at the inn.

Later on found him in the hot spring with Naruto. Unlike the blond, his scrub brush was made of soft metal, for his skin was stone – he was part rock golem. He was frowning at the pad when the swordsman came in – perhaps the metal brush was a_ bit_ too harsh – a towel around his waist and a grin on his face. Sasuke's rock brow rose as the towel went off and the man settled into the hot spring with a soft sigh.

"This is the life." Naruto leaned back, smiling "I love this; good traveling, good food…" his look turned sly "Budding romance…"

The scrubbing stopped "And you're looking at me, why?"the Uchiha asked, his crimson gaze shifting over to the other male "Or are you talking about you and Sakura?"

Flailing commenced "Whoa, hey, no! Not at all! I mean…" he put his hands up to his chest, cupping them "I like them like this you know?" Sasuke looked at him blandly as the blond tried to demonstrate "You know, like Hinata's! You're lucky, I –"

"What are you talking about?" he frowned at Naruto "There's nothing going on between the two of us."

This made the blond blink "Really? Because you two look pretty close and she obviously likes you a lot…"

_Wait, what?_ "Stop speaking nonsense. We're 'close' because I've been helping her learn shaman magic; she wanted to learn more offensive abilities without using black magic." And he had to admit she was pretty damn good. She already knew the Ra Tilt and that was the most powerful spell for the astral side. It was on par with the Dragon Slave, just in a different way. Hand to hand combat she was good – she was afraid of knives so swordplay was out of the question – and if she kept at it she'd be an amazing sorceress in her own right. She was already very powerful and she was the youngest of their little group. He admired her tenacity and inner strength, but he wasn't _attracted_ to her and she certainly wasn't attracted to him.

Right?

_Damn that idiot, now I'm going to have those asinine thoughts in my head. I don't have time for that._ Even if they did like each other nothing could ever happen while he had…this body. Her even being attracted to him was silly; he looked like a monster. A freak.

"_I don't think you're a freak Sasuke-san!"_

She had said that to him one day when Sakura and Naruto had been lightly teasing him about his looks. He had been too upset to think about it overmuch at the time but now…

"If you say so." Naruto sounded unconvinced but offered no more protest, leaving the disgruntled chimera to his thoughts.

xxxxx

The one thing he really hated about Hinata's family was that her father was overbearing and her cousin was a complete dick.

"Demon." The long haired Hyuuga male greeted, his arms crossed and white eyes narrowed. He wasn't entirely sure _why_ Neji hated him so much, only that he did and continued to call him a demon. He had even tried to exorcise him, the bastard.

"Please, Neji-niisan," Hinata implored "Sasuke-san isn't a demon, he was cursed by Madara the Red Priest."

"Something I _still_ have difficulties believing, considering the fact that he's one of the great mages of the age." He looked at her "I have only believed such a wild tale because you have claimed it to be true, Hinata-sama."

Sakura rolled her eyes "What_ever_ Neji, just show us where the food is already! I also want one of your better rooms, no skimping on me like last time buddy or you'll never hear the end of it."

Naruto shivered and leaned closer to whisper to Neji "You better listen to her, she knows how to talk a guy's ear off…"

"I heard that!"

"H-how about I show you to the archives, Sasuke-san?" Hinata offered when the two began to argue with Neji between them looking quite disgruntled "Um…before Sakura-san decides to become violent on Naruto-san."

Rolling his eyes at that prospect he nodded "Lead the way."

xxxxx

He couldn't stop staring at her, it was beginning to become a huge distraction and he hated it. If only he hadn't listened to Naruto's ramblings! Ever since that night he had been overly sensitive to everything Hinata did and said and he was beginning to question whether or not she did like him and if she did, what did he want to do about it? What could he, a monster, offer a _princess_? Then that posed the question, did he actually _want_ to offer her anything? Didn't that mean that he liked her as more than a friend?

They had traveled together, fought together, bled together. She had saved him just as much as he had saved her on their adventures. She supported him and his desire to turn his body back to normal even though she had told him more than once that she liked him just the way he was. Part human, part drau demon, part rock golem. Anyone and everyone else who saw his face thought him freakish or dangerous. The latter was true but…

"Oh! Sasuke-san look!" Hinata was high up on a ladder teetering precariously as she tried to reach for a particular book. I think I might have found –" she was cut off as she slipped from the ladder.

"Hinata!" he jumped out of the chair he had been sitting in with his superhuman speed and ran, jumped, catching her as he landed gracefully with her in his arms. Immediately he realized why that had been a stupid move when she looked at him confused.

She could have just used Levitation. The girl jumped from buildings as tall as skyscrapers and he had tried to save her from a ten foot drop.

At first she just blinked up at him curiously. When he continued to look down at her in slight embarrassment her face began to turn an interesting shade of red and she squirmed a bit.

"Um…Sasuke-san?"

Mind working on autopilot, he gently placed her on her feet, his ruby eyes taking in her pearl. She held the book near her chest and he quickly goes over all the other times they had gone to a city or kingdom; how many times she had done the exact same thing here while Naruto and Sakura had gone off to do their own thing. Hinata could have done the same but instead she had been searching through books as tenaciously as he had, wanting to help him find his cure.

Even though she liked him just the way he was. Because it was what he wanted.

"Sasuke-san? Wh –" she was cut off again, this time by his lips. There were actually a few areas of his body that were not as hard as stone although it was tough due to the brau demon part of him. His hands rested lightly on her shoulders and he knew he was being an idiot; that it was all Naruto's fault for putting the thoughts in his head to begin with, yet he couldn't help but to love the way she seemed to fit perfectly against him and how soft her lips felt on his. She responded slowly, confused at first but then slowly leaning forward, clutching the book even tighter in her arms. He pulled away, fingers brushing along her jaw line. He felt a myriad of emotions, most of it was confusion.

"I'm sorry." He said, frowning slightly at his actions. Still blushing, she looked down and gently pressed the book against his chest, taking a step back when he grabbed a hold of it. His heart began to pound when she looked up at him and smiled gently.

"Please don't be, Sasuke-san."

xxxxx

"You're seriously leaving?" Sakura frowned at him, a hand on her hip "But we've only been here for two weeks! You can't tell me you didn't find _anything_."

Sasuke shook his head "There were a lot of texts on purification spells and I did end up getting a lot of leads on some temples that might have more information, but nothing concrete concerning what Madara did to me. I can't spend any more time here."

This happened often. He was a loner and while he traveling with Sakura and Naruto tended to lead to interesting adventures and potential leads; they also tended to side track a lot and he really didn't enjoy wasting time. Seyruun was as good of a place as any to part ways. They'd meet again; whenever something of significance happened somehow they _always_ ended up crossing paths.

He smirked at Naruto "Try to keep her out of trouble, won't you?"

Beaming, he slammed a fist on his chest "Of course! I'm her guardian after all!" this earned him a fist to the face and the small female jumped up on him, grabbing his shirt with her feet on his chest.

"Who's guarding who?" she growled. Shaking his head, Sasuke raised his hand in a wave that was probably ignored as the two began to bicker as usual.

_If it wasn't for the fact that Naruto was already an idiot he'd probably be brain dead from all the abuse that woman dishes out on him…hm?_

He stopped at the gates when he saw a figure in white move from her spot on the wall, a small smile on her face as she closed the distance between them. Smiling a bit he sat his pack down beside him, taking in the small satchel that she was holding. Tentatively, she handed it to him.

"I was able to…find some more books and scrolls that I thought might help you on your search. S-some older maps are in there showing some places that the newer ones don't have because the places are too old or are ruins."

Gratefully, he took the present and reached down to place it in his bag "Thank you Hinata." He said sincerely and when he had everything inside and secure he picked the pack back up and slung it over his shoulder. "You've been a great help." It would have taken him twice as long to go through everything had she not been there right along with him into the early mornings.

"Do you think we'll meet again, Sasuke-san?" her face revealed little but he was sure she was thinking of that day in the library just as he was. He nodded.

"The four of us seem to meet up somehow or another." He smiled wryly "Whether we want to or not." He muttered under his breath.

"I know…" she began suddenly and he looked at her, waiting patiently for her to finish "I know that as long as you're in that body you'll…" instead of finishing her sentence she pulled off one of her bracelets and handed it to him. Blinking, he took it, looking at the round blue stone with the white magic symbol enchanted in the middle. It didn't do much, it was decoration mostly, but she had always worn them. "They're…they were my mother's." he stiffened, understanding now the significance of her giving one to him "She used to say they were for good luck. I…I'm only letting you borrow it s-so please…"

Smirking, he closed the distance between them, his free hand that had the bracelet loosely on his fingers settling on her shoulder. Bending down, his lips brushed along hers lightly "Well, I'll make sure when I find my cure I'll bring this back to you." He took a step back and she nodded, smiling warmly.

"I'll wait for you." The words brought a bitter sweet feeling, because he understood just how serious she was. He aged at half the rate of a normal human…what if he never found…

_If I think like that I won't find it. I might as well just give up right here and now._ And he wasn't, so he merely nodded at her. He'd just have to make sure he found it and returned now wouldn't he?

"Goodbye, Hinata." He walked past her and he could feel her gaze on his back.

"Goodbye, Sasuke-san."

He didn't look back as he left her kingdom but he didn't have to. If he wanted to see her smiling face all he had to do was look down at the bracelet in his hand.

xxxxx

**AN:** For those who follow my SasuHina works, yes, I _finally_ have a plot for the sequel to _A Traitor Branded_. The story is (at the moment) being called _Cursed Lineages_. My profile page has been updated with the information. It's a bit more angsty as promised and I plan to start working on it pretty soon. For those who like spoilers, all WIP chapters will be posted on my LJ. I could also use a beta for it.

Holy crap this was a long AN.


	7. Free For All

AN: Last one! Sorry for the lateness! There's a lot of errors that I saw when I proofed it from my iPhone but it's late and I'll fix them later.

This fic is somewhat of a dedication fic to Fairheartstrife over at DA who drew an absolutely beautiful picture from chapter 10 of _A Traitor Branded_. I was very humbled and moved by how much she liked the story and I hope she enjoys this as well.

The fic is based off of a picture she drew that you can view with this link fairheartstrife(dot)deviantart(dot)com/ ar t/ Secret-Kiss-175206092 It is followed by art from VioletVolchok: violetvolchok(dot)deviantart(dot)com/ art / SasuHina-manga-spoiler-150671814

This was a ton of fun, thank you to everyone who reviewed and faved. If you haven't checked out the club yet please do so, there were some absolutely _amazing_ SasuHina submissions: sasuxhina-fanclub(dot)deviantart(dot)com

xxxxx

**SasuHina Week Day Seven: Free For All**

**Tired of Waiting**

**By: Catriana**

xxxxx

He found her lying there one day. It had been raining at the time but she had seemed oblivious to this, instead her white eyes merely stared up at the darkened sky, her face empty of emotion. He hadn't known her long but normally when he saw her she always seemed to be almost too emotional, so the look on her face that day had seemed so odd.

He would have walked away but there had been something about her that had given him pause. So instead of walking away like he normally would have, instead he had ended up walking towards her, his hands in his pockets.

"You're going to get sick." He had said to her but there had been no reaction, not even a blink. With his hands still in his pockets he had poked her arm lightly with his toe "Hey. Hyuuga. Get up." No answer. It wasn't until he had knelt down and moved his hand over her face that he realized she was out cold. Well hell.

So he had taken her back to his place. He would have taken her to the hospital but people were still suspicious of him and he would have gotten pissed if anyone had accused him of foul play. The Hyuuga had ended up catching a fever and for a few days he had housed her and took care of her. He still did not to this day know what prompted him to do such a thing, only that he still did not regret it.

When she had finally awakened she had been disoriented and frantic. When she had discovered that it had been the fallen avenger that had cared for her she had been stunned, amazed and perhaps had been even a little intrigued. She had asked him questions and he had ignored them, not wanting to get any more involved than he already had.

Little did he know he had already fallen deep within the rabbit hole with absolutely no way to get out.

She had given her thanks and left once recovered. For a while he didn't see her. Not that it had mattered; her lack of presence made more of an impact on him than when she had been near. His apartment began to feel empty, he thought of her often. Whenever he would see her in the village he would automatically do a double take and his heart would skip a small beat. When she smiled at him his breath would catch and he would abruptly walk away, confused and frustrated.

'Not being fond of' said feelings was an understatement; initially it had royally pissed him off, to the point where he had begun snapping at anyone and everyone for anything and everything. His old teammates had noticed, of course, but normally asking the Uchiha "What's wrong?" ended in hostility so it had been avoided. After a while he began to reluctantly accept it; what else could he do?

So he approached her.

Of course, his courting skills were little to be desired. Having always had females in his face, it was difficult to know or decide how to act around the only female that he had ever encountered besides his family that didn't seem interested in him romantically. For a while it had actually been a blow to the ego; why _didn't_ she find him appealing? She wasn't really blind and he knew he looked good so what the hell? He had spoken to Kakashi about it once and _only_ once and swore never to make that mistake again. He detested being laughed at. At first he ended up frightening her instead of getting her to like him, so he had switched up his game plan to something else; compliments.

He discovered _very_ quickly that he sucked at giving compliments. Sasuke had to scratch that one since he had been trying to get her to like him, not royally piss her off – a feat that her team mates had sworn was impossible until then. That had also done little for his already bruised ego.

So he tried gifts; which had been absolutely and utterly embarrassing for him and he had actually taken the coward's way out by sneaking into the Hyuuga compound and dropping them off in her room…without telling her who the gifts were from. He could admit to himself that it hadn't been the greatest – or most intelligent – move he had ever made but by that point he had been growing desperate, frustrated, angry, and other things he hadn't known he could even feel until he had fallen for Hyuuga Hinata.

It worked…except she hadn't known it was him sending the gifts and for some reason telling her had been impossible for him. By the time he had found the courage all of the girls in the village were gossiping about the mysterious admirer that was in love with Hinata and he had backtracked.

Love? That word had left him highly uncomfortable and all courage to confess had died. He _liked_ her, love was a completely different story altogether. So he stopped with the gifts and decided that it would be better to just ignore her and try to forget about his bout of stupidity over a girl. It was her own fault anyway; all the girls liked him, what was her problem? As far as he had been concerned, she had been the one with the malfunction, not him.

So how did they come together? A shouting match. Well, she had been lightly arguing, _he_ had been the one shouting about how much of an idiot she was that she had been unable to notice the obvious. It hadn't been obvious and they had both known it but Sasuke had this habit of ignoring details that didn't help his case concerning being correct. And so finally they got together.

His attitude did a complete one eighty.

_Now_ that he had her, his ego went right back up to where it had been and he became overly confident since he didn't have to work hard to get her attention any longer. Being young, male, and hormonal, he was more than happy to explore the more physical aspects of their relationship…well had tried to anyway. Hinata was extremely prudish and so kissing had been as far as it had went for a while. Anything past that had been Great Shinobi War-ish in epic proportions to achieve. Of course, he wasn't considered tenacious for nothing and eventually got his way.

Their relationship was currently a secret. He wanted it that way, it was less hassle for her due to him being who he was. Being with her had been everything it had felt it would be; Hinata was gentle, kind, compassionate, and yet had an inner strength to her that he could only admire from a kunoichi such as herself. She was humble and unobtrusive, he didn't have to bust his chops just to get her to smile. She wasn't high maintenance and he thoroughly enjoyed her company. There was one really annoying thing about her, and that was her aversion towards intimacy. The first time he had tried to kiss her she had actually fainted, which had been…well awkward. Hugging her had ended up with the same results and so he had come up with a plan. Instead of backing off he became more emboldened and eventually, after many painstaking moments of fanning her until she awakened after coming on to her she finally calmed down.

Despite it all, they actually didn't spend much time together. If he wasn't doing missions for the godaime she was out on her own. This was a shinobi's life but for Sasuke, who had finally found something after years of having nothing, he began to realize just how dependent on her presence he had become. Not seeing her often quickly began to take its toll and with them having to keep their relationship under wraps it only made things even more frustrating. He worried about her constantly although he never showed it, and thought about her constantly when she was gone. Quickly, he found himself wanting more with her, much more.

He was tired of hiding.

xxxxx

A soft gasp left her when he slipped his arms around her from behind, turning her to face him. He was being daring today; he had managed to get Hinata alone and only feet away from the forest was a clearing where a large group of their friends – Sasuke preferred to call them loose acquaintances on a good day – were having a get together. He had kind of tricked her, motioning that he had something to tell her when really he just wanted to push the envelope. Was there a chance that they'd be discovered? Probably, but he didn't care today. He wanted someone did find out; they realistically couldn't hide forever and they both knew it. If they wanted to take their relationship further, something would have to give. That had actually been Hinata's argument and he had dismissed it at the time, unsure if he wanted to expose her to the pain that would follow her decision to be with someone like him. Three years had passed and he was finally giving in – he knew she wanted more; why not give her what she wanted? Of course, he wasn't going to tell her his decision just yet.

He liked making her squirm.

"S-Sasuke…" her pale eyes darted around frantically, making sure they were alone. He smirked and tugged on her wrist, pulling her towards him. "I thought…you had something to tell me…" her face flushed as she took in the look in his eyes. She knew that look and it never foretold of good things ahead.

"I do," he purred, the smirk widening as she tried to tug away "you have to come here first." Inwardly he was chuckling as he watched her resist the urge to activate her bloodline limit. He was being a bastard – she was only panicking because _he_ was the one who had wanted to keep their relationship under wraps and hiding had become second nature for her – but he really couldn't help it; she was so fun and easy to tease.

Another quick look before she looked up at him. He snaked his other arm around her waist and pulled her flush against him, dipping his head. She let out another soft gasp "Sasuke what…what if someone sees us?"

He made a small noise from the back of his throat "Don't care." He did actually sense someone near but he recognized the chakra. Hinata wouldn't, because this particular person's chakra signature was now very subtle…but not for him. Not after what they had been through together.

She tried one more time but her defenses were quickly crumbling. She had always had a hard time resisting him when he was persistent "But, Sasuke –"

He lightly brushed his lips along hers and just like that all care and consideration for anything and everything around them completely faded. It was always like that when he was with her this way; she had this way of making nothing else matter. "Shush, Hinata." He murmured, voice low, the teasing note gone.

A soft sigh escaped her when his lips slid over hers and he growled low, practically crushing her against him as he deepened the kiss. Whenever he touched her, kissed her, or was intimate with her it always affected him in ways he would never be able to properly explain to her or anyone else. Hatred was a powerful emotion that he had always been rather intimate with over the years; but _love_ was its complete opposite and for someone who felt in extremes it was just as overwhelming every time. And he did love her although it had taken a good two years for him to admit it to himself. After being drunk on one emotion for so long, this new state of inebriation was a welcome relief and at times it was hard for him to control those feelings and urges.

Thankfully, she always matched him when it came to their passion and she clung to him, tilting her head for a better angle. Her free hand rose and he felt fingers brush along his jaw. A shiver went down his spine.

Then reality came slamming down on them when they heard something rustle in the bushes. They didn't break apart but both activated their bloodline limits, eyes snapping over towards the disturbance.

"Uh…" blue eyes stared at them as if they had both completely lost their marbles and it took them a moment to realize that he had been staring at them like that for quite some time. The newcomer stood, still blinking at them blankly as a hand began to scratch the back of his head. "Uh…" he repeated, lost for words.

His girlfriend stiffened in his arms and he immediately realized why when she began to hastily pull her jacket back over her shoulders and zipping it up. Oops, had he done that? Sometimes his hands had minds of their own, he refused to take responsibility if she blamed him. Her face was bright red and she tried to stammer out some sort of explanation. Rolling his eyes, Sasuke pulled her against him, burying her face in his chest.

"We're going out." Was what he told the blond haired, blue eyed male that was _still_ staring at them like an idiot "No, you're not seeing things, stop looking stupid."

That snapped him out of it and he took a few steps forward, fists raised "What was that, bastard?" he paused, blinked a few more times and then shook his head at the couple. He even went so far as to rub his eyes, as if in doing so they would magically disappear or not actually be in a tight embrace "Uh…" it was too much for his poor mind to process and so it reverted back to its dumbfounded state. The Uchiha rolled his eyes.

"Hinata and I." he began, as if speaking to a very small child "Are together. As in. We are dating. A couple. Having se –" dainty hands slapped over his mouth and he looked down at his girlfriend who looked horrified.

"P-please don't t-tell him things like that!" this time he rolled his eyes at her. And they called _him_ the strange one.

"So uh…" a hand rose and Naruto's mouth did this sort of fish out of water movement before noise emerged again "you two…?"

"Yeah." Sasuke answered, tilting his head "Is it really that hard to grasp?"

"Well…yeah!" when the couple blinked at him his eyes squinted and he looked thoughtful "I mean…Hinata is so sweet and nice and you're a complete _jerk_ so like…" he looked at Hinata "Seriously, what do you see in this grumpy bastard anyway?"

Eyebrow twitching, Sasuke resisted the urge to go and pommel the blond – mostly because he preferred soft curves pressed against him over inflicting pain on one loud mouthed idiot. "Maybe the question is, what didn't _you_ see in her?"

Low blow was low and Naruto winced and he almost regretted the words. Almost, and only really because Hinata had looked down for a moment; a little sad. She leaned against him, however, so he took that as a good sign that she wasn't really mad at him. "Sorry." He said it mostly to Hinata who nodded. He was honestly grateful Naruto had never returned Hinata's feelings, otherwise he wouldn't be feeling all of these new sensations and emotions. If anything, it was the one time he could actually thank Naruto for being stupid. He had no idea what he had missed.

"Nah, it's cool." And just like that Naruto recovered "So…how long this been going on? A few weeks?"

"Try a few years."

"_Eh_?"

"Don't worry about the details." Sasuke quickly said, not wanting to deal with another neural meltdown with the blond "Just do us a favor. Cover for us," this got Hinata's attention but he didn't look down at her "there's something I want to do."

"Huh?" this came from both of them this time but instead of responding right away he shifted his body, smirking when a small yelp came from his girlfriend as he pulled her over his shoulder. She wiggled a bit and let out a few light protests before relenting, knowing that he wasn't going to let her go.

"Sure…" Naruto frowned in confusion "Wat'cha gonna do?"

Turning to the future hokage he smirked, but there was something serious behind his dark gaze "Something I should have done a long time ago." He murmured and with that he carried his 'bundle' deeper into the forest.

xxxxx

AN: What was it that Sasuke should have done? My dear readers, I shall leave that up to you ;)


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